Mom by Design

A Christmas Miracle!! - I blogged!! ; )

2011-12-26T12:42:00.001-07:00

Here is our Johnson Family 2011 Christmas Update! I never have been too great about getting Christmas updates out ...

So somebody tell me where to start … I give you incredibly detailed accounts of our kids’ milestones right? Well, Dyllan (a girl in case you need a reminder ;) ) is 17 months old now. Today, she ran up to me and told me the colors of the rainbow! Word for word, she just said, Mom – “I know the brilliant colors of the rainbow! – violet, emerald green, crimson, amber, indigo blue” … she’s a cute one she is … Oh yeah, and that conversation actually went something like this … “Abbadududubababab … gitikagitikagitikagitika … betabetabeta bababa …” - but I just knew what she really meant (because I’m a good mom ; )

In a nutshell Dyllan is: walking.running.babbling. saying a few words.climbing.smiling.frowning.climbing.smiling.climbing.smiling, and climbing some more. She has a fun personality mixed with chill, mellow moods (we still call her Chillin’ Dyllan) back to back with spastic laughs, growls, wrestling, frequent squawks for food and a general proving that her mellow moments are just that – moments. She keeps us (especially me) BUSY & makes all of us smile constantly; We can’t imagine life without her.

Taya is still a social bug, mixed with occasional brief shy moments. She digs on swimming in the summer, and dancing all year long. She is the queen of pretend and can teach a mean Sunday school/preschool/dance lesson. She still doesn’t miss a beat, and is a little chatter, so who knows what stories she has shared with you friends & neighbors …. Sigh…. Ha. She & Dyllan are both affectionate girls & take good care of each other – which means Paul & I get frequent hugs – we’re soaking them up one by one. Paul & the girls have almost daily ‘pummel’ sessions; where Taya will even say ‘Dad, pummel me!’ –or pretend to pummel her own babydolls – and Dyllan will just run up & maul Paul – Dyllan is into the rough housing just as much as Paul & Taya. I love just watching them, and occasionally joining in on a (gentle) tackle because they just don’t get any happier than in those moments. My version of this with the girls are our regular dance parties J - regularly dancing our little hearts out to music. Now don’t you get any blackmail ideas …

I still have some fun with cooking, occasional hostessing, designing, and Church involvement as a Primary counselor, but my main time commitment besides my most important momhood/sisterhood/wifehood/daughterhood callings has been photography. But a lot of you already know that as I have regularly blasted Facebook and my website with my latest photo shoots (www.redpoppyphoto.com; that’s what this update is really about right? … self-promotion ; ) ). Photography has been an interest of mine for a long time, and having the chance to do it as a part-time gig has been really fulfilling.

Paul is still designing up a storm at SmithGroup in Phoenix. He rides his self-restored fixie bike to the near-by express bus every day, is helpful around the house, helps our Bishopric out as Ward Clerk, loves to hobby around (including wood working; just this week he made a rocking horse [but elephant] for one of our Christmas presents to the girls), throw hoops, and occasionally mountain bike the desert hills we live in. Oh yeah, and if you know him well, he is still good at those unpredictable (yet predictable) mid-day 5 minute naps - one of his signature marks. And while I’m poking fun of Paul, yes, you can see that I still have my signature mark of being a bit long winded sometimes!

This year has notably been one of small miracles for us; from a Priesthood blessing that practically dissolved an Arthritis flare-up of Taya’s literally overnight (her flare-ups usually last months), to a seamless home short sale in time for us to move into my parents’ house just 25 minutes away while they serve an 18 month mission in France, to repeated financial blessings happening immediately upon Tithe payments, to prayers being answered when in search of seemingly small but important items, and other experiences where we undoubtedly felt the comfort, guidance & peace of the Holy Ghost, our Heavenly Father, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is hard to go a day without seeing the beauty of His creations, sacrifice, teachings, and love for us personally and individually. Our hearts swell at this time of year, feeling the added peace brought to the Earth in celebration of His birth & life. We pray that your year has been one of gratifying perspective, love felt & extended, and Testimonies grown & shared.

With love,

Paul, Breanne, Taya (4) & Dyllan (17 months) … and … ??? …(just kidding, no third child right now. Seriously ! – NO third child right now – just a joke)

Thanks to Molly Wagner for helping us get a few photos of our entire family, and not just the usual, Paul & the girls :)

Free day at the zoo for you THIS Saturday!!

2011-05-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

It's true! You & your family can get into the zoo for free this Saturday! ......

(with a little, but GOOD catch) ....

It's the annual Phoenix Arthritis Walk, helping to raise money & awareness about Arthritis, including Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (which is what our dear Taya has had since she was 18 months old or so). You check-in at 7am, walk 1 mile starting at 8am (right through the zoo - wake the animals up!) & then have the rest of the day to roam the zoo, go in and out - for free!

A few facts about Arthritis for you ...

Did you know?-Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States.

-Juvenile Arthritis is one of the most common childhood diseases in the U.S.

-Two thirds of people that have doctor-diagnosed arthritis are under the age of 65.

-Arthritis results in 9,367 deaths (I'm doubting these are children) and 992,100 hospitalizations annually.

-Arthritis and rheumatic conditions cost the U.S. Economy $128 billion annually.

-50 million adults (nearly one in 5) & 300,000 children suffer from arthritis.

-By 2030, an estimated 67 million Americans aged 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed Arthritis.

-Walking 30 minutes a day can reduce your risk of developing certain kinds of arthritis.

Which brings us back to walking for arthritis THIS Saturday, Phoenix Zoo, be there or be square (no pressure though - except that I'll be your best friend if you show up, but still, no pressure)!

Here is the link:
http://2011phoenixarthritiswalk.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=424342
(you can sign up through this link to save time, or on the morning of)

And maybe next year I'll give you weeks or months notice instead of days notice, unless I'm in the middle of moving this time next year (I won't be, so I think we're set). Better late than never though because who doesn't like a free day at the zoo for the entire family?

Comment, email or call me if you have any questions.

I'll follow this up with a little bit more about Taya's arthritis soon because I don't think I've updated you on that in a while here on the blog. People do often ask me about it though (which is 100% fine with me). For now, I'll just tell you that her medicines (Enbrel & Methotrexate) are helping her significantly, so she is doing fairly well on those.

See you back here soon!

Balloon Baby Cakes

2011-03-24T13:29:00.007-07:00

Dyllan is 8 months old now. Time flies when you're whimsically doddling balloons (that would be a pretty sweet past time to have wouldn't it? pretty sweet, or eventually, a bit boring .... "What do you like to do in your free time?" ... "Well, army crawl, bobb my head lots, and oh yeah - whimsically doddle balloons ... Lots of that").

She is still pretty chill, but shows us plenty of personality too, with a variety of growls, squeaks, squeals, and other baby sounds. Any time we say babababa (with a certain rhythm) she shakes her head back & forth while smiling, egging us on for more smiles & bababababas. Dyllan's skill resume now includes:

army crawling ... 1st of March-present

sitting up ... late February/Mama's birthday to present

eating pinches of select table foods, with her newest asset: 2 bottom teeth ... 1st of March to present

drinking water (sparingly, for those in a tizzy) from a sippy cup ... mid-March to present

in training: currently perfecting the skill of sitting herself up

Fancy this: her weakest point is also her strongest point: She's not much for baby foods & bottles/formula, and she has turned that into an accelerated eating pace. She's on track to be sipping tea (herbal) from porcelain with her pinky finger daintily pointing in the air by 12 months. Like a Men's Wearhouse suit, I guarantee it.

Balloon complements of Chick-fil-a. It was so perfect with her outfit, I had to slap (gently) a headband on her, throw my white backdrop up & snap a few photos.

We're quite in love with this lil' Darlin Dyllan.

Need to Blog It: 2nd Up; He was takin' out the trash ...

2011-02-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

So here we are catching up on Halloween. It was a memorable, fun Halloween. Here in Arizona, I can never seem to get into the festive mood until say ... a couple of days before Halloween (after all, temps are at least in the 90s still...) ... and then sometimes, just sometimes I guess I really go for it. Because this year, we went to a pumpkin patch, a neighborhood Halloween festival, went to/helped carry out our church Trunk or Treat party, made pumpkin soup (& the traditional pumpkin carving/pumpkin seeds), passed out candy to the smell & taste of apple cider & pumpkin bread on the scene, and dressed up to the nines, er, I mean zeros.

You'll see ...

Wardrobe epitome of a 3 year old: favorite Halloween shirt that lights up (= my least favorite, but it was okay when relevant - she continues to wear it once a week or so) AND a tutu.

There is nothing more romantic than taking out the trash.

He is my janitor. I am his trash.

(except we both know, I ain't no trash)

You're welcome for the actor's theater rendition right there.

...

Cutest (but apparently worried?) 3 month old Jazzercise Instructor:

And happy Baby Ballerina ...

Happy little Tinkerbell ...

Pretty darn cute ...

Sexy stache complements of mutilated teddy bear fur from Goodwill children's section.

Rat's nest hair complements of ... me. (shoulda' seen the rats nest when trying to detangle it in the shower that night. Scare-eee.!

Oh my sweet, Sweetie Pie

2011-02-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Dyllan. Sweet, sweet Dyllan. I'm not one to use the words 'sweet', 'precious' ... and those descriptive types ... (no hatin' if you do). But sweet is just the best way to describe Dyllan. She is so happy & easy going. She shares her personality in a soft & endearing way. She loves to smile at strangers, softly look away, and then look back & smile again. She loves to talk (growl too) & we can't get enough of the sound of her voice. I loved this age with Taya and I am again savoring it with Dyllan.

A few more things about our little 7 month old (just barely) is that she has stayed in the 97% or so for length & started at 75% for weight, but dropped to 50% in weight by 6 months. From what I can tell, she's just about got legs for days. And she's still got her endearing little baldy head, my big floppy ears, & her angel's kiss on the forehead, which is fading some. She eats solids, but we just barely slide that spoon into her mouth each time - she's mildly interested (though everything else goes into her mouth of course). 75% of the time, she pretty much hates being in the car, and she's a little stubborn in getting to sleep sometimes, & has a slight case of Mama's Girllitis, but the rest of the time, she is, well, like I said, as sweet as they come. She gets up on her knees a little bit & will soon be rocking on all fours any day or week now. She is also a little jumping bean! Jumping, kicking ... maybe she'll love dance, track or soccer one day : ) Who knows.

Still nothing gets her to smile or laugh more than one of our smiles & eye contact. We love this little baby girl, and as my friend, Erin (Turley) would say 'She's a keeper!!'

As you can see, she (along with Taya) continue to be my most popular photo subjects.

Bad Mom Fix

2011-02-09T12:14:00.001-07:00

Fix for a day where you feel like your mothering has been less than desirable .... make a food face!

Flax see fro may or may not be eaten up by your 3 year old. Guaranteed to make 2 year olds laugh & 3 year olds smile. No satisfaction guarantee for children 5 & older.

Actually, I don't remember having any particular bad mom moments on that day, but I know when I make entertaining & fairly nutritious food for Taya, I temporarily feel a little more like wonder mom.

And then we go back to normal. And my head shrinks back down.

Need to Blog it: First Up? Christmas

2011-02-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

I'll be doing some posts from 2010 that I just can't get out of my 'need to blog it' mindset. So Christmas is the first.

The first few photos are of a Christmas thank you dinner of sorts that we did. It's always nice to be able to reuse the ol' wedding decorations (vases, twigs & falling berries) and feel resourceful! We really enjoyed this & it added to the spirit of Christmas.

My first try at Tirimisu (Mormon style, which means Pero & grape juice substitutes for the usual coffee & rum). I was pretty proud of myself to be honest.

(Whenever I hear or say the phrase 'to be honest', all I can think of is how my old boss told us commission only designers/salesmen not to use that phrase because it implies that at other times you're not being honest. So I guess you can take this blog post & assume I am not being honest with you the rest of the time. So really, we did not do a nice Christmas dinner, and those were not my wedding decorations. Now you make up the real story for me ...

We were able to include various family traditions such as the meat dish, Rouladen, a Johnson family New Year's tradition. And I loved being able to use my recently-found-again vintage goblets; a keepsake of mine from my Grandma & Grandpa on my dad's side.

Now I just want to share some of our Christmas decorations & the photos I had fun taking of them. I love being at home at Christmas time.

My sister was paid this year to decorate an office lobby for the holidays ... I think that would be so fun.

I love this painting below that we gifted ourselves in Christmas 2009; 'Jesus Washing Peter's Feet', by Ford Brown. We bought the poster print & Paul cut it out with an exacto knife & shellacked it onto a 1.5" thick piece of MDF/wood.

I straight out stole this photo idea from Jana's blog. You did after all, tell us how to do it right Jana?

Ikea & Target ornaments (child proof too!) collected over a couple of different Christmases can still pull off a nice tree : )

This piece has meaning to me because my parents gave it to me years before I was even married. They bought it on a special tour to Jerusalem & Egypt. Though I would love to somehow collect the rest of a nativity set to go with it. Maybe I'll just have to make it to Jerusalem myself one day : )

Who needs fancy shmancy wrapping paper when you can have princess wrapping paper?! ....

I'm like the rest of the trendy world & still love all things birds.

That little painting above my kitchen table Christmas center piece is indeed of Taya if that's what you were wondering. Paul painted that a year or so ago, inspired by the style of this artist that we've come to like.

Can't go wrong with cranberries in a vase of Trader Joe's Christmas flowers (well maybe you can if it's all starting to get old, and this one was in fact, ... but still, i'n't it perty?)

This photo below isn't Christmasy, but it was in my Christmas photo mix, and in loving memory of Taya's fish named 'Nemo Fishy', I am posting it. He lived from her 2nd birthday past her 3rd Christmas.

(According to my earlier blurb, maybe even this could be a lie though, what do you think?)

Taya's first reactions to her Christmas stocking, including her first true bike from Santa.

(I'm actually a little lacking on Christmas pictures of Taya & Dyllan due to a combination of being too involved to stop & take pictures, as well as having been sick on Christmas, boo hoo).

Quick learner. Proud dad.

And to cap it off, check out this spectacularly crafty Nativity puppet set that Paul's sisters made & gave to us this year. It's a great way to tell the Nativity story with little kids, and carries the tradition on from years past when Paul & his siblings used their own Nativity puppet set made by their talented mom.

It was a great Christmas. I soaked up every day of it being in our own home that we've worked so hard on over the years, knowing it was our last here. Plus, having Taya be so thoroughly into it this year because of her age made me realize just how much I like Christmas as a mom. Busy - YES. But also complete with happy, happy memories? YES.

**I feel like this post was kinda braggy; if so - well yikes, I apologize.**

Can you overdocument an Anniversary?

2011-01-27T16:14:00.005-07:00

We recently celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary. Paul took me (with a lil' wifey hint, hint) to a unique Phoenix restaurant he found called St. Francis. We had my brother's family watch Taya, and Dyllan accompanied us. I tried to doll on up & off we went. Yummo food, killer atmosphere (hence the abundance of pictures), and one & only type of company. My only complaint was trying to ignore my knarly sinus infection headache/achy muscle symptoms ... but ignore I did (sort of) & enjoy I did.

Thanks Paul for a night on the town. You know I love 'em. And you. Most definitely, you.

(50mm lenses make a tight self-portrait fit!)

The Good.

The Bad.

And the ugly.

Paul teased that those latter two are his favorites & for that, he gets a funky photo posted as well :)

His salmon was our favorite of the night. It was perfect.

Actually, Dyllan's cheeks could have been the best thing to chew on all night. Don't you just want to bite them? ... softly I might add (as if I meant vigorously ...).

A little design admiration ...

A little vanity ...

(a lot of vanity actually, I don't think any post except my birth story has involved more pictures of myself, but I say it's a good thing for us moms.)

And a little more design admiration ... warped as it is.

This was a great night! I can't believe it's been 6 years. Every year feels like that though. 6 sounds closer to 10 (I know, just barely) & 10 will have just flown by like that.

Thanks for the strength, dedication, laughs, fatherhood, husbandhood, & the love Loaf.

So can you overdocument an Anniversary? Yes. But can you like it? Hope so.

(On a side note, I love going to one of a kind places like this. No more expensive than Cheesecake Factory or P.F. Changs, but everything is a first time experience. There are a ton of unique restaurants in this valley. We love finding them when we have an occassion to).

**This has been edited now. Thanks for the photo HTML tip Lauren!**

Parlez-vous français?

2011-01-11T23:34:00.000-07:00

At Christmas time, my parents received their much anticipated mission call. We, along with my brother's family gathered at my parents' house for the big opening of the mission call to see where they would be spending this next year and a half. We connected with my other siblings over Skype. We had all cast our predictions March-Madness style; my bro even laid out a map & pinned everyone's guesses - including friends' guesses. Considering my parents' history of having simultaneously served missions in France & Belgium as young adults (their mission president told my dad to ask my mom out when they returned to BYU - and later told them he never suggested that to any other missionaries), and their verbalized willingness to go to a foreign speaking & or challenging mission, most predictions were for a French speaking mission. ... A lot of us predicted French speaking regions of Africa (as per my mom thinking that might be the spot & my dad excited about the idea of such foreign place). And only one person, one little 3 year old girl guessed the correct location of their mission call -

and that was Taya (ok, so maybe I assigned a prediction for her name) - so do you want to know what she guessed that landed her the position of best grandchild in the family (finally firming up our suspicions anway)?

Yah?

Well, she guessed ...

Paris, France!

We are all so stoked for them. This mission includes other areas of France & part of Belgium as well. I know they will be such a blessing to those they encounter. They both have so many wonderful skills, qualities & talents to offer, and most meaningfully to me, they are incredibly people oriented & service oriented. We will miss them of course, but are really excited for the adventures, challenges, & wonderful times they are bound for.

While they are gone, Paul, the girls & I will be living in their home. So once they leave in April, we will be moving into their home.

We had originally hoped to rent our house out while doing this, but have decided it is better for us to sell our home instead (well, short-sale). That has been a tough decision, not so much due to what we're losing, but just making peace with it (though I am feeling quite nostalgic about our home these days). The fact that this decision enables me to stay home with the girls, as well as gain other important blessings, has driven us in this direction and overall, we feel it is best.

So come Spring, we will be saying goodbye to this beloved territory & heading 22 minutes away : ) (Come visit!)

I know I will have many a chance to share my gushy love for you friends so close by, so I will wrap this post up since it is about my parents and not me!

They are busy, busy preparing & brushing up on their French.

I am proud of them & grateful for them, to say the least.

And to cheese up this post lil' league style:

Go get 'em Mom & Dad!

(yah, I really did just say that)

Coming to Grips

2011-01-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

There is a word that keeps coming to my mind lately: paralyzed. I realize that this or that feeling or the other sometimes paralyzes me into NO action. For instance, I have such a hard time knowing who & what to vote for because I don't know what information is credible out there so I'm paralyzed into indecision on who to vote for right up until I'm taking pencil to ballot. Or on seemingly smaller elections, I'm sometimes paralyzed into not voting at all. This really bothers me because I do believe in being a devoted, participating citizen. Anyway, something to improve on.

And so the other key example that I've been paralyzed in (have you heard that word enough yet?) is .... blogging! I'm sure this comes as no surprise. But because I have elaborate blog posts come to mind, I end up putting them off until I can do them justice. Then those memories & feelings are void of justice all together. I'm probably stating a common problem.
Oh yeah! (light bulb fills head that is filled with air), I think that's called 'writer's block'.
... Writing ... I miss writing. Which is why I need to just post; post anything. I do feel like blogging can be a very good thing. I have missed it. So, this is my start. Writing ... anything.

So, let's see each other back here soon. I am coming to grips with the fact that my stage of life right now is not conducive to my idealistic dreams of elaborate posts. And so, I will not stay immovable. I will blog.

(You like that dramatic conclusion don't you? That's what I thought ... I know you've missed me because I've missed me - and apparently my narcissism too).

And on a note about much more important things ... my girls! Taya is loving Joy School & has missed it over the Christmas break, and she is doing a great job on her new 12" training wheel bike that Santa gave her. She is still as sweet a big sister to Dyllan as ever. And she keeps us on our toes with smart plans to get what she wants (yikes) & wordy, witty comments throughout the day. And Dyllan - has hit a development spurt lately. She loves to jump on our laps, stand on our laps, roll around both ways everywhere, say 'dada, lala', & just for me, an occasional 'mama'. She is showing more & more personality & smiles a lot. Still a bald little q-tip of a head on a long body, with a beautiful smile - & I really say that oh so lovingly. Parts of her look like Taya to us, but overall, she has her own look (somewhat resembling my sister, Tiffany's baby pictures, which is endearing to me).

We had a wonderful Christmas. Several times a day for weeks I thought to myself ... I love Christmas time. I really do. I am sad that it can be a hard time for some, but am happy that life is full of happiness & special gifts right now to make the season that much fuller. I've been enjoying my new bike trailer that Paul gave me for Christmas, giving me the chance to take the girls on breezy bike rides ... As well as a couple of photography books. Soon, I'll share more of the photos I've been taking and spending my hobby time on. Perhaps 1 or 2 at a time without an in-depth post to go with it is how I should think of it ... after all, I am trying to come to grips, right?

Below, I'll leave you with 2 photos from our recent Thanksgiving/family reunion on my side: And for kicks, see if you can find the 5 things I eliminated in photoshop in the first photo. I think I would title the second photo: 'We ain't got no brains' - complete with my family's sense of humor & drama.

(Do you think that I can wind up with a long post, complete with a couple of pictures - having lost parts of it, re-edited it more than once, taken forever and a day for pictures to upload on my computer, and still call this post 'Coming to grips'? ... Maybe it's 'Trying to come to grips' : ) )

Essence of Parenthood ...

2010-10-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the essence of parenthood is best seen in our prayers, because night after night, Paul & I speak words to this effect:

Dear Heavenly Father-

We are so thankful for our amazing daughters & how special they are.

Please help Taya to learn obedience .... (most recent plea)

And please help us to learn patience.

......

.........

In Jesus' name, Amen.

A call for help for obedience, and an even greater need - for patience & gentleness, but first and foremost, an expression of gratitude for the gift of these girls.

***

No matter the difficulties parenting brings, we find ourselves in amusement, gratitude & awe over our girls every single day (currently we are losing our marbles because Taya is repeatedly coming out from nap & bed time over and over and over and over and over ... again [oh, she's been in a toddler bed for several months already, this is just random :) - I know this is a small example of kid woes, but it's a bit real at the moment!]. If anyone is ever teetering on having children, or having a 2nd or 3rd child, take the leap! I've thought many times how I can't imagine anything in the world that gives as much joy, laughter, learning, stretching, growing, perspective, and gratitude as parenting does. And if there is anyone reading this who is trying & yearning for children or for another child, I would imagine your trial has the opportunity to help you stretch and grow in ways we can't fathom. I frequently think of those I know & even don't know who so badly want to get pregnant, and every time it reminds me to strengthen my gratitude for my daughters.
****
Oh, and guess who rolled over yesterday! Dyllan's rollin, rollin, rollin ...

Three Year Old Fashion

2010-10-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I choose Taya's outfits ...

(Today's Sunday church outfit; 3 year old poses entirely self-initiated & void of mom-instruction)

And sometimes she chooses them:

Today's Sunday after-church outfit (both outfits are entirely hand-me-downs, which is wonderful).

................

And on another note, here is Dyllan's cute smile. There are two things that almost guarantee a smile from Dyllan: lip buzz noises & saying 'zzzabazabazabazabazabazaba'; ironically those were the exact noises we discovered triggered Taya's smiles at this age.

Blessed Blessing Day

2010-10-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

This little belle had her blessing in September. We were lucky enough to have some family from Paul's side & my side travel out for the event. I love these moments, as chaotic & exhausting as they can be, I love being with my family - and having both of our families join together to support Dyllan/us - was great. It is nice to have both sides of your family reaquaint themselves now & again, and enjoy each other too. Dyllan must have sensed the special day because she started sharing some major smiles the morning of her blessing when her Aunt Fawn (my WONDERFUL sister) was entertaining her while waiting for church to start.

The classic after church group photo, rain or shine ... and shine/shady it was!

Games after dinner that Sunday at my parents' house. This motion was non-stop all weekend.

Chillin Dyllan

2010-10-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

Here is my Baby Darlin. Darlin Dyllan. Chillin Dyllan. DyllanbaJyllan. So many wonderful names to snuggle her with. She is somewhat chill and easy going much of the time, so it fits. Taya loves to tromp around the house saying 'Dyllan's chillin/Chillin Dyllan/DyllanbaJyllan' - it never gets old.

I took these photos in a few different sittings (and the others I've shared so far here, here, and on my sidebar) between about 6 & 18 days of age. She has been the perfect practice subject for me with photography, hence the abundance!

We are all in love with her; she is now smiling, slightly doing soft laughs, and cooing up a storm.

We're so happy to have her!

Taya Baya

2010-09-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've had so many grand blogging plans, but with my computer breaking down more often than not lately & a list of other things that have definitely taken priority over poor blogging, well, this is what we get. Good enough I say.

So our lil' miss Taya is now 3 (see I'm a couple months past due on that announcement!). She has been a talker for so long, have I ever told you that? I usually hesitate to talk about my kids' abilities on the blog b/c it just feels like a comparison or bragging or complaining trap, but I don't quite know how to describe Taya without mentioning some of these things. She is very articulate, has an ability to reason and pick up on things that is recurrently shocking to us, and she can talk talk talk. Although she is surprising me by starting a shy side with strangers lately. I love her normally outgoing little personality, but I suppose life teaches you to start being a little shy sometimes, no?

Lately she has used words like: literally, eventually, strange, perfectly, breastfeeding, distracting, ... and I know the list goes on (yet she still skips the number 12 a lot when she's counting). She loves swimming, usually likes to paint, loves social settings, loves stories, including telling them, finding words that rhyme, and is found playing pretend more often than not. She's frequently correcting me when I call her name with 'No, I'm the Mom' (insert teacher or babysitter here) & telling me where her friend Sadie, Aide, Mady, Macy, etc. is (see the pattern?). She loves being a big sister & is very gentle with Dyllan. She likes to check on Dyllan a lot, including during Dyllan's naps, which is not my favorite thing. Taya smothers her with kisses & a gentle stroke of the head, arm, leg & says 'Oh Dyllan, Dyllan, Dyllan' in the most gushy babying voice possible (even if Dyllan's not upset). She's a funny little ham for the camera sometimes as shown below.

We love our lil' Taya. She never ceases to make us laugh.

(See that fish cake below? Taya requested a 'fishy cake' just like last year - that required no extra thought, so I said sure!)

Another Story

2010-08-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

I’m sharing two birth stories with you (indulgent, but I think delivering a baby deserves some blog telling indulgence, yah?). For those looking for the abridged version (see, even Dyllan is yawning over the length of her birth story), skip to the ***. For those wondering about my choice for natural childbirth & her name choice, start here! For those who like picture books only, skim away only to land at the previous photo birth story!!

So, a little over a month ago, I gave birth to this lil' Baby Girl of ours, Dyllan. ..Dyllan - we may get confusion and weird reactions for using a boy name for a girl, but every time I say it, I love it. I hope she'll love it too. Wait, wait, I just fast forwarded way too far. Well, no, actually let's go back to the naming. We had all sorts of names in mind for months, though none of them were sticking – (at least not with mutual agreement) - the names were ever changing, but about 4-5 weeks before having Baby Dyllan, a Bob Dylan song popped on our music playlist in the background, and half way into the song, I kind of laughed as I asked Paul, 'What about the name Dylan? Is that crazy? - I kinda like it' ... and then Paul didn't react with shock or horror, so I took that as him adding it to his list of considerations, which apparently, he did. The fact that a Bob Dylan song inspired her name makes me laugh – like we are a bunch of hippies. It seemed to be one of the front runners as the due date approached, but we still didn't seem settled on anything name-wise. (We do like to wait until we see our babies to finalize a name). So, about 5 minutes after she was born, Paul & I checked in with each other to see if we had our name inklings upon us ... not yet (that felt a little scary). Then we checked in with each other another 10-15 minutes later & said we both had a name standing out to us. Paul made me name it first: 'Dyllan' I said. As I said it, I had a feeling he was thinking the same thing; and he was. The middle name, Julia, is Paul's mom's name, and we have known that we wanted to include her name for months already. I love the sentimentality, feminine & classic touch that Julia adds to the name Dyllan.
Okay, now let's rewind again. After having Taya and not being able to receive an epidural until dilated to almost a 10, it made me wonder if I could go all the way with no medication the next time around. (This does not mean that labor was easy, but I thought - I went that far, why couldn't I do that again?) So over time as I talked here and there to moms who have delivered naturally, I gained more curiosity and more confidence about the idea. The more I chatted here and there about other moms' natural birth experiences, the more I realized that if I really wanted to deliver this second baby naturally, I needed to have adequate preparation, mentally and physically, and I needed to make a decision. Basically I realized that if I was still fence sitting on the idea as I started labor, I would most likely opt for medicines. At the same time, planning on a natural labor scared me that I would feel guilt or disappointment if it didn't pan out (and I didn't believe I should feel those feelings). But on I went, deciding on a natural labor, and preparing myself for it. A one-time birth class that Paul & I took from a midwife at my OBGYN's office really sealed the deal too on my decision, and helped Paul to understand why I wanted to deliver naturally - which I was really grateful for. Among other feelings & reasons, learning that the U.S. has the 2nd highest newborn death rate of modern developed countries, and that interventions are known to contribute to this statistic (ie. you receive pitocin, you're more likely to receive an epidural, you receive an epidural, you're more likely to receive a C-Section, you receive a C-Section, you're increasing your overall risks for you and the baby) ... it made it hard not to want to deliver naturally ... I hope I'm not stirring up controversial feelings - I claim these feelings only as my own and can definitely understand other moms not feeling this way.
So I made my decisions; what did I do next to prepare? Well, a few people heard probably more than they ever wanted to about my preparations and thoughts on delivering Baby #2 naturally, but for the most part, I kept kind of quiet about it because I didn't want to be challenged against the idea over and over again, especially when I had a hard time explaining my desire for natural labor, and didn't want to get into debates about it. So, #1, I kept my mouth shut around lots of people. #2: I studied some hypnobirthing after looking into that vs. Bradley Method. The hypnobirthing method I studied was really just about physically relaxing yourself entirely and also about training your birth mentality to have confidence in your body's ability to birth and avoid fear and tensing up during labor. I wouldn't really consider it hypnosis at all. Anyway, step #3 for us was that we decided to find a doula, really just meaning, someone who is trained in being a support during labor (and leading up to it as well), and who could advocate for our natural birth approach/avoidance of medical interventions at the hospital so that we could focus on more important things like, well, having this baby. We were really grateful for our doula, Althea and would recommend her and the use of a doula to anyone. Doulas are thought to accentuate the dad's role too, and not take away from it. I definitely felt this was the case.
So, as my due date started approaching, and I was getting checked on my OBGYN appointments, I was dilated to a 1, 50% effaced, and the baby was head down, but posterior for multiple weeks right up past my due date. Posterior being like 180 Degrees rotated the wrong way/sunny side up. I tried to change the baby's position through chiropractic visits, a prenatal massage (these are both good things for induction even without a posterior baby) and daily time spent on my hands and knees, rocking, rotating, etc. I got a little drained near the end of even having to worry about the posterior position, but I kept trying to help her move. (The way I understand it, posterior is not so much really dangerous as it is known for causing longer, harder labors).
I kept having the feeling I might have this baby within the week before my due date (ha!), but what came up that week before my due date turned out to be another animal: I got sick - like a dog. For some reason a UTI (TMI??) turned into really bad chills/high fevers/sweats/below zero amounts of energy, etc. for me for the week of my due date. I started literally praying to have this baby late because I could not imagine even starting labor in this condition. My due date came and went. My sickness came and went (the went part was worth rejoicing for) - it had included a short trip to the hospital for IV/additional antibiotics. And before I knew it, I was having multiple non-stress tests done on the baby for being overdue!
***Three days past my due date, my OBGYN checked me and I had at least dilated to a 2 ½ and she reported I was looking much closer to having this baby, but at the same time, we discussed induction dates and worst case overdue scenarios. We scheduled for the Dr. to break my waters at over 2 weeks past my due date (Dr. Brass has a lot of natural patients come to her and is one to avoid inductions and C-Sections). I was relieved that she didn’t pressure me into an induction sooner than I wanted and yet also dreading the idea of waiting another 2 weeks to have this baby. I told Paul the induction date (July 28th, 1 day after Taya’s birthday) & he gasped, knowing how anxious, uncomfortable and stressed I was already becoming about having this baby soon. He encouraged me to ask for a sooner induction date & I did; bumped it up to July 23rd, still 13 days past my due date. That same Tuesday night, contractions woke me up around 2:45am. These hurt more than my previous Braxton Hicks contractions that had been hanging around for months already. I tried to sleep, but was anxious about them and they had enough edge to keep me awake, so I paid attention to their timing. Well after 2 ½ hours of contractions at 10 minutes apart, moving to 7-8 minutes apart and getting stronger, I decided I was probably in labor, and would do some activity to help things along. At 5am, had you peeked in my window (hope you weren't), you would have found me hugely pregnant, doing yoga to a youtube prenatal yoga video on my exercise/birthing ball. Yep. ..But then, at around 5:30, I realized my contractions were disappearing almost entirely. Wow, is false labor ever disappointing?! I had called my doula during the contractions too and described my pains and contractions, and she had agreed that I was probably starting labor. So when things just halted during my obnoxious act of yoga at 5:30am in the morning and no sleep, I just konked out in bed and hoped for more labor again soon. Well, Wednesday overnight at 2:45am, the contractions started again. This time, I wasn’t going to let them yank my chain so I tried my best to sleep through them, which I did off and on. I think these contractions stopped after 2 ½ hours this time. So by Thursday midday as I headed to my second non-stress test on the baby for being overdue, I just about cried on the phone to my dear friend, Jessica, who showed the perfect empathy I needed (thanks Jess) as I told of my roller coaster week. I went to work that day too, and had occasional contractions that were enough to make me stop and take deep breaths as I tried not to draw attention to myself. No consistency or high frequency though! At this point, I wasn’t going to believe Baby Dyllan had arrived until she was in my arms, or at least crowning in the delivery room! So the occasional and fairly painful contractions continued here and there; I left work at 5pm, drove to my brother’s house for my niece’s birthday party and complained once or twice during a contraction that it was kind of painful, but probably nothing big (sending cramps and shooting pains down my upper thighs – I don’t remember having those with Taya!) … Cancelled Taya’s 7pm swim lesson – too tired and no desire to rush home (glad I cancelled that!); arrived home at 8:30pm to Paul, a semi-clean house and bags that had been packed and ready for days now, breathed through contractions here and there as we put Taya to bed, but still did not take them seriously. Well, after 9pm, when I realized they had become more frequent, I decided to rest in our pool, but still thought of them as false labor, so as not to discourage myself if they halted again. That pool did wonders – (made me want to deliver a baby in water even more!!) – it relieved the pain so much that I would wonder if I was even having some of the contractions or not, now at 10 minutes apart – I would stand up out of the water and then feel every ounce of pain reel through my body. The difference in pain between fully submerged and getting out of the water was pretty shocking. I called my mom at 9:30pm and told her my status, but still played it down because I didn’t want to end up discouraged with false labor. I basically said ‘mmm, who knows?’, but she said she was going to pack the last of her things and be ready to drive over when I next called. Well, two hours later, when my contractions were 7-8 minutes apart, Paul was on the phone, asking my parents to come on over to stay the night with Taya. Midnight, my parents arrive – I’m still in my bathing suit from the pool, but at this point, kneeling on all fours in the shower. I’m pretty sure one of my parents took a picture of me like this : ) By this point, my contractions were approaching 3-5 minutes apart and every set of few minutes between body-stopping contractions felt like a gift of precious time that I had to use as effectively as possible – during one contraction I would mutter through breaths to Paul, ‘Get my clothes’, then getting ready for another break, I’d mutter ‘Have you called Althea? Is everything in the car?’ … Once Althea arrived to our house at 12:40am to follow us to the hospital (I had texted her at 9:45pm earlier with my status, downplaying it just like I did to my mom) … we were ready to head to the hospital. Like I said, I planned my use of each next break between contractions during every painful endurance of a contraction, so when Paul excitedly said ‘Alright, let’s go!’ right in the middle of one of my contractions, I grunted ‘Not now!!!’ … to which he sheepishly said ‘Oh, ok.’ Then as we got in the car and I had just shut the car door as another contraction came on, my dad followed us out and opened my door again and said, ‘Now, Breanne, what’s a doula again?’ – I desperately said something like ‘Go ask Mom Dad!’ (sorry Dad, but hey, it was funny timing, what can I say?) … Then it was a 15-20 minute ride to the hospital filled with intense contractions. I tried to breathe through them, unsuccessfully get my hypnobirthing tracks set up to listen to, and do a little make-up in between contractions – yep, make-up, why not?! You sound like an animal during labor, I don’t think you have to look like one too – hehe, I know this is impractical (call it a distraction method! ha) – don’t worry, I think I sweat it all off within a ½ hour anyway (oh, that’s a reason why not!). As we arrived around 1am and checked into Banner Gateway Hospital (loved this place!), I tried to answer check-in questions through reeling contractions, and then at one point said in a panic, ‘Something just came out of me!’ – well my water broke right there on their chair. Staff moved things along pretty quickly after that, checked me into triage where they found I was dilated to an 8, and moved me into delivery. We also met the on-call Dr. who would be taking my OBGYN’s place at this point. This was not the primary on-call dr. I had expected, and I had previously heard bad stories about my OBGYN’s 2nd on-call dr. My Dr., Dr. Brass is the only Dr. in her practice and is known for having patients who want to deliver naturally, for accommodating this significantly, and for making an effort to deliver the majority of her patients’ babies. I guess she happened to go out of town with her family earlier that day. This on-call Dr. read my birth plan once she arrived, (I had discussed this birth plan in depth with Dr. Brass and had tweaked it per our conversations, we were very much on the same page [literally, ha!]) – for some reason this Dr. aggressively took great issue with one of the items on my birth plan and wouldn’t let it go for a while. But finally she came around, relaxed, and then spent a good amount of time in labor and delivery with us. She also helped me to tear less through extensive massage too, so I appreciated that (tmi? hard to avoid in a birth story). She was a little aggressive at first and I was disappointed not to have my Dr. – and I think a couple of things would have gone differently if my Dr. were there, but in the end, it all panned out just fine.
Now, back to my lil Baby Dyllan. She continued to stay in posterior position – which kept me on my hands and knees to try and move her position through moving my positions – and eventually I ended up in kind of a stomach down/side-lying position to accommodate her position. Paul & Althea took turns applying major pressure to my tail bone area, which is known for hurting more with posterior position labor. And then came the pushing – or should I say, the ‘Stop Pushing!’. Now I know what the ‘uncontrollable urge to push’ means – it is literally uncontrollable. Well, I definitely got to that point, but because Dyllan was posterior and I wasn’t quite dilated to a 10 yet, the nurse & Dr. kept telling me to ‘Stop pushing!’ – this was by far the hardest part mentally and physically (I don’t even mean that pain-wise) – just that my body would start bearing down and pushing with each contraction and a terrible screeching noise would emerge from my lips, practically vibrating my head (this is bazaar hearing yourself vocalize like this) – it was very hard to get control of these contractions with a good breath, but eventually I got it (most of the time). Then as Dyllan’s head descended, the Dr. helped to rotate her by her head (insert exclamations here! A Dr.’s hand added to the circumference of my 9lb. 3oz., 22" long baby’s head inside of me?! – and this Dr. was not a small boned woman!) – but it was brief and I just wanted to meet my baby girl, so this was relatively manageable. I had heard before that the pushing phase isn’t quite as hard as the transition phase for a lot of women – and I found this to be true. It did hurt intensely, but it was brief and such an exciting point, knowing that I was so close to welcoming my daughter in my arms. After about a ½ hour-ish of pushing, Dyllan came out at 2:52am and was placed in my arms. I held her for a long time, and tried breastfeeding her right off, but she didn’t seem ready [skip this part of you want to continue the melting emotions of the birthing moment, ... but while nursing, for some reason my delivery nurse, who I loved during labor, started practically shouting at me like a drill sargeant 'Drop your elbow! Drop your elbow!' - the elbow supporting Dyllan's head - I was still dazed, but did know what I was doing & wasn't sure why her objection to my nursing hold - I humored her & found another way to hold Dyllan - it was unusual & humorously memorable]. After another 15 minutes of holding, Dyllan was ready to nurse . Paul and I took turns holding her and loving on her and soaking it all in. I can’t say I’ve had this one identifiable moment of life changing reflections right when holding my daughters for the first time – it is incredible, but both times I’ve been in such a daze from giving birth, that it takes me a few minutes and then the emotions of overwhelming love start to wash over me. Kissing Dyllan and telling her I’m her mama and that we have a loving home and an incredible big sister waiting for her stand out in my mind … embracing her both physically and emotionally – telling her how happy we are to bring her into this life and have her as part of our family – That is how I remember the feelings of Dyllan’s arrival.
And that is her birth story.

A Sneak Peek

2010-08-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

A Sneak

Peek

... Check back here soon for more photos and more birth telling ...

Dyllan's Birth Story, by Photograph

2010-08-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

This was a project I had wanted to do for months since seeing a few other birth stories told by photograph. I had asked Paul if he would be up for playing the dual role of part-time photographer/supporting husband during labor (and of course told him that I might change my mind about him taking time out for photos at any time - Paul balanced both of these roles beautifully). I'm so glad we did this because it makes my Baby Girl Dyllan's birth that much more memorable and poignant to look back on.

She's here!!!

2010-07-16T23:17:00.001-07:00

Announcing our 2nd little girl,

Baby Dyllan!!

9lbs. 3oz.(!!), 22" long, and all health looks great!!

She was born at 2:52 in the morning, arriving in style 6 days late!

More of a birth story to come!

Taya Lately

2010-05-26T01:13:00.001-07:00

(Freshly bathed!)
Can you believe it? I'm posting! Yes, yes, it's been a long time ... I don't want 3 month gaps like that in the future, no siree.

So, here is a little photo recap of Taya over the last few months ... a few of my favorites.

And here are a couple of cute stories about Taya lately too:

She has been saying 'I love you' spontaneously to me more often in the last couple of weeks, but the funny thing is, she is used to saying 'I love you too' & so even while initiating it, she says 'I love you too' & will hug me or kiss me; and so sometimes I say 'I love you too too' & making me feel hilarious, she cracks up each time. I'm pretty much a puddle of water in these moments.

The other cute story from tonight at family prayers before her bed time is that she was saying the prayer & asked for help ... Paul leaned over & suggested she ask to 'bless her sister' & she straightened up, looked over & patted my belly (quite large now btw), still praying, as she said 'Bless this 'lil baby right here' (something to that effect). Aaaand, again, another puddle of water moment.

She makes me laugh & smile repeatedly every day.

Oh yes, and ... she has not only told an adult who had a gruff voice from an illness that he talked funny, she recently told the middle aged man with a slight belly sitting behind us on the train as we circled around Disney Land (yes, this is deserving of its own post) 'Your belly is big!' - and a few other similar stories I know, but these two come to mind. I was just telling someone a couple months back that I suspected we had many potentially embarrassing or at least amusing moments headed our way with our social & verbal 2 year old. And there we go!

Visit to Grandma & Grandpa Johnson in March; Taya loves all of the time Grandma Johnson spends reading with her.

Paul's birthday; Liberty Market (a favorite!!)

Easter Time

Not quite close enough to the tv, Grandma & Grandpa Johnson's in March

Coat of Many Colors

2010-02-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes & gender votes & congrats wishes!

I had a great birthday!! ... In my late 20's, getting closer to 30! I don't mind though. I think the 30s will be good. I'll have to tell you more about it soon!

But for now, I got to thinking ... so here it comes ...

I just read Jana's post which touched on self-content with body image & how polls show that only 2% of women are happy with their body image. Shocking, not entirely surprising with a combination of many things we are bombarded with, but still shocking. As I read her post, the song 'Coat of Many Colors' by Emmylou Harris (originally by Dolly Parton) was playing on my sidebar over there (have you noticed it before?) and that's when I got to thinking ...

(There is a you tube link below, the song on my sidebar playlist, and I have the lyrics shown below too. How's that for options?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4wOlYuDLE (If anything, you should watch this video for their sweet '70s style and rad camera fades in and out of faces in the background - you won't regret it - plus the lyrics don't do the message as much justice as the video)

Back through the years
I go wonderin' once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall a box of rags that someone gave us
And how my momma put the rags to use
There were rags of many colors
Every piece was small
And I didn't have a coat
And it was way down in the fall
Momma sewed the rags together
Sewin' every piece with love
She made my coat of many colors
That I was so proud of
As she sewed, she told a story
From the bible, she had read
About a coat of many colors
Joseph wore and then she said
Perhaps this coat will bring you
Good luck and happiness
And I just couldn't wait to wear it
And momma blessed it with a kiss

My coat of many colors
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

So with patches on my britches
Holes in both my shoes
In my coat of many colors
I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

And oh I couldn't understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love
My momma sewed in every stitch
And I told 'em all the story
Momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes

But they didn't understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
Made just for me

I've always thought of it as an inspiring song - especially as a mom. I want so badly to be a mom that inspires positive self-esteem and knowledge of each individual's divine nature within my daughters (and future sons too?). That's what I love about the mom in this song - I don't think she lied to her daughter or gave her false understanding, but just had grounded perspective and saw beauty in everything, and therefore passed it along to her daughter. I suspect this daughter did not maintain the positive belief about her tattered clothes through the kids' teasing without having learned from her mom's perspective, faith and gratitude on many occasions. It's not like just this one moment with her mom would build this girl's positive perspective up to this degree. It takes time after time from a parent or loved one to instill this kind of strength in a little girl - or anyone. I guess I just got to thinking about the negative messages we send our kids frequently without realizing it ... starting with our own self-esteem and perception of self-image, but also including things like whether our house or clothes or cooking or this or that are good enough. If we are constantly being self-critical of our own clothes or various things in front of our kids, what do we expect? They will learn to think all sorts of things just aren't good enough. That they may not be good enough if they're not wearing or doing the right thing, and in some ways, maybe that certain people or things aren't good enough for them.

I guess I would like to watch what I say more than ever around Taya and this upcoming baby - as they grow older, so that I don't send the message that if my clothes or hair or tv or phone or car or neighborhood or computer or body or personality OR ...... aren't good enough to society - or to me, that that surely must mean those things make my daughters inferior. I don't want them to have that misconception. That's why I find this little girl's story in the song so refreshing.

It all starts with self. So whatever I can do to be positive, (yet grounded), and shed love in every way on my daughters, including a healthy love of myself as a daughter, then I think that's the start.

What are your thoughts?

It's a ............

2010-02-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!!

I don't know what I would do without my sisters so I am thrilled that Taya and Baby Girl Johnson get to have each other as sisters!!

I can't wait to get to know her!

And most importantly and good for my sanity's sake, everything looks good health wise - no concerns, so that is great :)

I don't know if Taya gets it yet. I think Paul and I both kind of thought it was going to be a girl, but also thought how new & exciting it would be to have a boy too. But I really am glad that Taya gets a sister & I can't wait to see how their personalities differ.

And it was a great start to my birthday, followed by more and more greatness. So it has been a wonderful day!

Maybe I'll do a part 2 post with pregnancy pics & ultrasound pics!

Vote Ya'll!

2010-02-18T09:01:00.001-07:00

(I always thought that Carrie Underwood's Literacy Campaign name was ironically funny: 'Read Ya'll!')

I wrote this post a couple of days ago and my computer decided to shut down the internet when I had finished - without saving it yet ... so this will be the short version!

Did you see my voting poll over there on the right side? ... Whether you think this baby will be a boy or a girl? You have one day left to vote!

I've been asked a lot what gender I want. I really don't care with this one. I think there would be fun things with a girl or a boy. Girl - cheaper (for now ... not in 15 years, make that 12 or 13 yrs.) & it would be so fun to know Taya would have a sister (I love having sisters!!!). But a boy would be fun and new and would guarantee us, well - a boy! I hope to have a boy at some point, I just don't necessarily care what order. Of course, Paul is pulling for a boy BIG-TIME.

On another note, Taya makes us laugh everyday - I will have to rewrite Taya-isms (that's what I lost in the last post) soon. But she says things like 'milk' with a southern drawl - meeeiiilk & 'garbage' like a Boston city garbage man - gaahhhbage & world= waaeed (actually I have no idea how to spell the way she says it - you'll just have to know it's funny).

I'll see you back here soon!!

In one week ....

2010-02-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

Next Friday, the 19th, on the morning of my birthday (how subtle was that hint on a scale of 1-10?), we will find out if Baby Johnson is a boy or a girl!!

(Please, please cooperate little baby!)

I've been feeling little 'flutter' movements for the last 2 or 3 weeks & then started feeling clear identifiable nudges from the baby in the last week. I love it! I can't wait 'til the kicks are big enough & predictable enough to have Taya feel them in my belly. She'll get a kick out of that! (bu-dum-chhhhh, drum roll)

I'm phasing out of that awkward stage where you don't look pregnant, but you don't look like your normal self either, but not quite big enough for strangers to ask me when I'm due. ...Nice to have my bump finally establishing itself!

Happy Valentines Day Weekend!!

Poor Paul has to deal with Christmas followed by our anniverary followed by Valentines Day followed by my birthday all within less than 2 months!

Don't miss this!

2010-01-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

Nooooo, this isn't what you think it is!!

Ok, actually it was! That is of course, if you saw the ultrasound picture & thought - Breanne's pregnant! We are really happy & excited & Taya loves to talk about being a big sister & the baby in HER tummy. They will be almost exactly 3 years apart (I'm pretty happy with that age span at this point :) )

We'll find out the gender in a month more or less, so we'll keep you posted!

Can't wait to get to know another little Johnson!

5 Years

2010-01-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. Wow, have I been busier than all of you, that's for sure! I mean, that's the only good explanation right? gaggedy gag gag...

(I can't decide: is that kind of joke even funny, or just annoyingly funny, or just plain annoying?)

Hmmm, I'm feeling a little delirious right now, but I just had to post for the sake of posting ...

So the real topic is that it's our 5 year anniversary tomorrow!

We're doing an exciting get-away - at home.

No seriously though, exciting. Seriously! You keep thinking I'm being sarcastic. (told you I'm delirious) But the fact is we're having Taya babysat for 24 hours and staying at home, making a fancy dinner together; we've been working on a little facelift to our master bedroom that gets poorly neglected out of all the bedroom kiddos in the house - always whining to us about its poor neglect too. Anyway, it's still a work in progress, but hopefully it will feel nice enough tomorrow to become the Fancy Pants of our home. Fancy if you call modern mixed with ecclectic mixed with half of the projects to our facelift plan are still yet to be...

We're even treating Saturday as if we're out of town and spending the day together too - kinda fun!

So happy 5 years to us!

(And finally, happy blog post to me too - two months! I must be really, really busy. I mean really.) ; )

Glad to know she knows!

2009-11-16T16:43:00.003-07:00

After just finishing one fruit leather, Taya just pulled two more out and asked for them a few times in a row ...

'You just had one Taya, so we're all done with those for today, but maybe tomorrow'

(Repeat the begging and this response 3 times)

Finally Taya said:

Noooo. Not tomorrow! ..Me Special!!

Glad to see the message I've been telling her for many, many, many nights has gotten through - one way or another!

Small Miracle

2009-11-03T23:58:00.003-07:00

Yesterday Taya woke up with her Arthritis inflamed again, so much so that she initially couldn't walk, let alone even stand. I called into work to take a little extra time to care for her, giving her a bath, medicine & massage. She was still limping badly by the time I dropped her off at Annie's house. Around that time, I texted family and a couple of friends, informing them that her condition had returned in full force & requesting thoughts & prayers. I had beautiful response letting me know that those prayers were said and those thoughts were nurtured. Those were a comfort.

The small (or even big to me) miracle that occurred was that today Taya had hardly a trace of the inflammation. Pretty much zip, zero inflammation/limping. We're taking it day by day, but I particularly wanted that load lightened if possible at this moment, and it is just a good reminder that prayer works. And when you need it from others, it is humbling to ask, but gratifying and comforting to receive the answer from the Lord - in this case, the answer was immediate recovery. (I would not have expected that at all since she limped straight from the beginning of March '09 to Aug. 7th when she received her steroid shots).

I'm thankful for prayer. I'm thankful for those dear times when Heavenly Father delivers simply and clearly - which feels like a gift that nurtures me and reminds me He is always there and loves me.

So thank you to any of you who prayed for Taya yesterday. It worked :)

Now she's back to dancing, attempting to ride her tricycle & jumping on our mini-trampoline again.

Happy Girl She is.

And grateful Mom am I.

Downpour of Goodness

2009-10-21T22:26:00.006-07:00

So I believe I mentioned in the last post that I had more big news to share ....

Paul & I both just started full time jobs. Yes, full.time.jobs.

Can you believe it? At first, I think we didn't, and that is why I'm not sharing this until after we've already started in full swing. After pretty much accepting a different job offer from a firm that he was previously unfamiliar with, Paul was contacted by an architecture firm called Smithgroup, a firm that he has been networking with all year long and that has been his top choice. They asked his status, brought him in for an extra interview, offered him a job on the spot and asked him to start the next day! After discussing it with me, he happily (and giddily I suspect) accepted, and then went in person to turn down the other job offer he had just recently accepted. ... A bit tricky, but they understood and the choice to work for this great firm, Smithgroup, was very obvious. Now Paul is already working full time and spending time on a crime lab design in Denver, CO -pretty interesting already.

I am doing a type of social work in my job, going back to my psychology major roots, and am really enjoying it so far. I am in training as an in-home educator to families that are at risk for child abuse and neglect; essentially I will be building caring and trusting relationships with parents (many moms especially) in which I can support them in developing healthy family relationships (with their children specifically) and in becoming self-sufficient and hopefully goal oriented.

We both found out about our initial offers within a day or so of each other, and on top of that, found a great and trustworthy babysitting set-up for Taya (our friend, Annie, for those of you who know her - so Taya and Annie's 3 year old son, Daniel, get lots of time together). It all came together quite smoothly and we're truly grateful for this time to recover from the past 11 months of unemployment. Receiving these blessings all at once makes it feel like an unbelievable fragile gift - like we could only accept it honorably if we accompany it with a plan of positive action and gratitude, and one that includes 'paying it forward'. It is very helpful for both of us to have full time jobs right now in order to help us with a little bit of recovery from this past year. Also, with my job relating to healthy parent-child relationships, it is a good chance for me to thoroughly examine my parenting and relationship to Taya. I have already been soaking up these last couple of weeks of training, just giving closer attention to how secure I can help Taya feel in our relationship. The order in which different events have taken place for us this past month, and even the last several months makes this downpour of blessings seem very purposeful. We constantly prayed for guidance in our priorities over the last year; whether to prioritize occasional temporary jobs that would help us with the next month's mortgage, but take away from the ongoing job hunt, whether to prioritize time, energy and even cost into projects like the one mentioned in the previous post, Urban Polkadot, as well as an architecture competition that Paul won, or whether to always prioritize job hunting 100+% ... it seemed there was a balance of different priorities at different times, but that as long as we prayed and continued working hard, we would be guided with peace, sometimes clear peace and sometimes peace that was a little bit harder to distinguish, but we were continually guided by our Heavenly Father. And even though we knew we were praying for this guidance and strength, sometimes it was hard to see its apparency. I wish my faith did not falter and slightly wonder about the apparency of Heavenly Father's guidance in those times, but I think the most important thing out of this is that whether or not we see the guidance, peace or blessings as clear and apparent in that moment, we can know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and that He will help foster our growth and path of learning in this life.

I never responded with a follow-up post to my recent post about trials, when so many of you left such kind comments. But what I've wanted to say then and at so many other times during this past year is how much all of your prayers, kindness, concern for our well-being, occasional excuse to give us your 'leftover' food, load of strawberries, or caring phone conversations have meant to us. It actually means a great deal to hear 'you're in my prayers/thoughts' ... to think that someone else is spending a moment at night on his/her knees or over the dinner table thinking of or asking for help in honor of my family was really comforting and humbling. It makes me want to spend more time in my prayers at night mentioning more specific names of who I am pleading for. I always think of my Grandma Harris on her feeble knees pleading for one soul after another night after night. There is so much purity and strength in this. So thank you for your prayers & thoughts - whether they were once or twice or very frequent. We are grateful to you. With some people's trials, you can feel so helpless to assist them, and I suppose some of our experiences this year could have left family or friends feeling this way, but as I said, just hearing people tell us that we were in their prayers added additional peace and strength to our lives.

One thing I've thought about so many times since the last post that I talked about trials in is that there are so many people around us with invisible trials. ... Trials that are so private that these individuals may not have a single friend, family member or comfortable/available counselor to talk to. My heart goes out to these people. I mean I almost feel like I am thinking of one or two people in particular without knowing who they are, praying for them anonymously, especially with a heart's prayer. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever think about people and their heartache without even knowing who you're thinking about? Many of our trials this past year have been more visible, therefore resulting in more caring and action from friends/family members. I sorrow for those around me with invisible trials, but perhaps they have an opportunity to draw even nearer unto our Savior - in a way that is hard to find without feeling entirely alone. That is the most sacred and important factor out of all of this. We may have God-sent loved ones or even strangers who lighten our days, but when we don't, and even when we do, we have our Savior to cleave to. We have His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and therefore, His understanding, and we have His unconditional love.

In this single way, no matter what our trials are, or aren't, we are all threaded together by our Savior's Atonement.

Paul & I are so grateful for our jobs and the opportunities they both provide, for our peace of mind of Taya's wonderful care (Thank you Annie), and although our unemployment phase lasted nearly a year (some unemployment phases are longer, some are shorter), we are amazed at how we have ended up lasting through it, as far as staying in our home, and remaining provided for all year long. It's kind of shocking actually. There have been so many lessons to learn through it all and we feel like we're better off as individuals from these lessons; of course there will be more, and we even still have more stresses to keep working through right now, but it's refreshing to see the outcome of some of these lessons and blessings after a year of 'interesting experiences'.

I always hope I don't offend anyone in a post with thoughts like these, but these are my beliefs and I am grateful for my beliefs,

therefore I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ & for my Heavenly Father, for the Atonement, and for this plan called life.

I sometimes wonder if my deep thoughts are too much to handle or too intense for a random read... but well, they are mine. And I share them whatever they are.

Urban Polkadot!!

2009-09-28T23:40:00.008-07:00

Holy Guacamole, have we been up to a lot! Hmmm, that was cheesy, let me try again ...
Gee Wizzz you outa see what we've been up to!
Hmmm... still cheesy?
Eee gatz!! Do I have a lot to tell you Pumpkins!!

Okay, okay, enough.

So here is the story ... last winter, a month or two after Paul was laid off from Circle West Architects, I was telling him how I thought he could start selling something online with his artistic abilities; graphic design, woodworking, rendering, etc. ... so we kept our minds open to ideas. A little later, we noticed one night that Taya pulled one of our kitchen chairs up to the tv and plopped herself comfortably there to watch (tv, yikes, I know). We both thought it would be a fun project for Paul to make a wooden toddler chair for her. He came up with this endearing design very quickly; we immediately saw it as an opportunity to sell multiples. Shortly, Paul designed a table to go along with it, we picked out colors, chose company & product names, Urban Polkadot & Taya's Table & Chair set, and one idea turned into another!

We eventually decided to take our design on the road while on a family trip in California back in July. We showed our products to several boutiques in Southern & Northern California & received great feedback! Shortly after, we decided to attend The ABC Exo (All Baby & Child tradeshow), a juvenile products show that is the largest of its kind. And we had A LOT to do to get ready! ...Brochures, press kits, designing & building a booth, paperwork, website creation, manufacturing/business/price point research, producing more table & chair sets, etc. etc. - all on a short deadline - we worked our hineys off - especially Paul!
We attended the Expo in Las Vegas last month and it went great! The ABC Expo includes vendors such as Fisher Price, Graco, Maclaren, and more, including new or small companies like ourselves, and attendees such as online retailers to lots of boutiques to mass chain stores.
We were received with a lot of enthusiasm by attendees (retailers) and have significant interest from many of them, including some retailers with key design appeal. We also had great interest from some different media sources. This design blog included us in their display of ABC Show products too!
So things are looking good!! We have a lot to do and are looking to have our table & chair sets on store shelves by Spring 2010. In the meantime, we plan on selling them online for the Christmas season (I'll make sure to let you know when that happens).
So go check it out!! www.urbanpolkadot.com
(And tell your friends! Or if you know of someone who would be interested in a small investment project, let us know & we'll be happy to share more about Urban Polkadot with you -- and them :) )

Wondering why it's taken me so long to write this post? Well, I don't know what was going on but I must have written and rewritten this post in different versions at least four times before blogger lost it and would not save it, or my computer would just shut off, etc. Craziness. Every time. So between being very busy lately (with other updates to tell about) and not wanting my work lost again, this is what we get! But just pretend the Expo happened last week - it'll make you feel better :)

Key Words: Urban Polkadot, Kids Furniture, Toddler Furniture, Table & Chair Sets, Toddler Chair, modern nursery furniture, rocking horse, toddler rocker

Somethin' Better

2009-09-10T22:08:00.004-07:00

AwesomeRossom. We've been staring at that roach picture for far too long now, and the post before that was basically my sob story (with slightly positive aspirations right?) I just had to post something new to look at instead of that lovely roach picture; so here is a sneak peak of something I'm LONG overdue in posting about ...

Love Jana's photography as usual :)

Oh, did you think I was going to tell you about the long overdue topic? Naahh, this is just a teaser ...

Roaching Drama

2009-08-31T00:23:00.005-07:00

Apparently, the sight of one of these on my bed is deserving of instantly yelping/tossing our laptop off my lap and onto the floor & finding hideaway by scurrying to the floor, crouched down in fetal position ... (okay, not quite fetal position, but, well -- almost)

WHY IS IT ON MY BED??!! I promise we're at least clean enough to let cockroaches know they are not welcome.
And the truth is, I spotted him an hour earlier on a pillow on the floor (before he disappeared under my bathrobe) and sat on Paul's side of the bed just to avoid him ... but he of course plotted against me and tickled my arm ... that filthy roach.

(A roach with which I'm color coordinating)

(A cricket?.. I could handle - unfortunately those are practically living with us so much they should be paying rent! But a roach - somehow it's just psychologically disturbing)

Good Morning!!

2009-08-30T10:40:00.003-07:00

Bed.Head. I'n't She a Beauty?

Thoughty-Thoughts

2009-08-16T17:48:00.010-07:00

(Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handy, wait no - by- Breanne - except don't let me deceive you, I'm not as funny as I'd like to be, and well, these aren't even meant to be funny - but this post felt like it needed a Deep Thoughts type of picture - -- this was taken on a backpacking trip a few years back)

I wrote a partial post a couple of weeks ago about the exhaustion of unemployment - about us (especially Paul) just wanting full time employment so bad. I never finished it & never posted it, and I want to be honest on my blog so as not to paint a fake picture, but there is of course just general privacy to consider. July was a tough month, good because we were able to go visit family & friends in California (will post pictures soon), but just tough in its events - besides always wanting employment or Taya's juvenile arthritis (did I ever confirm here to you that she does indeed have it? It really ramped up in California too), I/we also dealt with a miscarriage while in California (7 weeks along & a forwarning feeling that it was not going to continue eased this loss a little) and some other concerning health news of a loved one, and weeks and weeks of flu sickness combined with miscarriage recovery. I'm hesitant to mention all of that because those events are not my point of this post (I've already discussed these things plenty with a few close ones), but I know I can learn so much from those who are open about their trials & I think it will link to my next thoughts more clearly if I mention these specifics.

I've been thinking about many aspects of dealing with life challenges, big & small. I believe in not denying my troubles; this doesn't mean saying 'Wo is me, why me?', but just acknowledging them while they're around & allowing myself to fully experience them rather than tell myself I shouldn't feel this or that way (which will only come back to bite me). I believe in finding the balance of being 'in the present' with my trials for a short time, yet also finding a point to move foward & to become more aware of others' trials as well. Sometimes it feels like other people don't have trials when I'm in the thick of it even though I ultimately know better (I got sick of feeling wrapped up in myself & my thoughts during July). But it is so nice to be there for others & hear their concerns; although I wish I could eliminate their worries, it is just so nice to think more of others when it's otherwise easier to think of myself - hence the reason it is so helpful to serve others always, but especially when having a hard personal time. Sometimes when I find out about other people's heavy & hard challenges, I can initially be inclined to think 'what's wrong with me? why am I so concerned about my troubles when they're nothing compared to this person's?' -- but that really doesn't help anyone out either to think that way. So I am working to find the balance of still allowing the knowledge of other people's hard trials to instill gratitude for my blessings, yet not take it to a discouraging level of 'look at them, if they can get through that then why can't I get through this?' type of thoughts. It's all relative and our struggles are ours - they are real - and they are opportunities to refine our character & souls by. I don't think what we've been going through is the heaviest hand dealt to people I know - NOT AT ALL, but I also am aware that we definitely have a few struggles here chucked at us at once. I hope and think I am growing through it all, because that is most valuable to me; especially growing together as a family. I want to be there for others - for them & I will admit that at times, it is partly for myself as well. I do so much better when I can serve others and feel purpose in my thoughts & actions of concern for others instead of thoughts that sometimes feel like they lead to nowhere if they are all for myself (and my family). I'm sorry to those right around me that I've been a bit wrapped up; I know you all have your own concerns & I want to be there for you, so if I am the person you ever want or need to confide in, please don't hesitate. What have been some of your thoughts as you've all gone through various life challenges? What attitudes/mentalities help you?

We watched The Soloist last night & it was another good chance to put my thoughts & energy into what others are going through (without getting down on myself for worrying about my own challenges). I have never seen the life of homeless people more accurately depicted than in this movie. I am not currently involved in serving those that are homeless, but during college & in my first full time job, I have been involved with those that are homeless, mentally challenged and/or low-income. I miss those days sometimes where it's hard not to stay grounded when you hear someone's life story and how their homeless or challenged state came to be, and where you know you've been able to help them for at least a moment. I know I am focusing on mothering & current life goals right now, but I do plan to actively involve myself once again in a similar service oriented group. According to the movie, there are 90,000 homeless people living in LA alone - 90,000! This movie really helps you think about them as individuals with families and background stories instead of just 'homeless people' with very little personalization. I am grateful for reminders like these to step beyond my scope in my thoughts & ponder what I can do for another.

I don't know how much sense this all made, but I've been feeling a need to write about some of these thoughts. My dad just finished my Grandma Harris' life story; I have read part of it through tears and cannot wait to read its entirety. It makes me glad that I blog & that I share these thoughts, because even though my 500 word rambling could very well be too much for some, it might mean a lot to my posterity one day.

As a follow-up note, I want to tell you that after many months of anticipation for treatment (long insurance delays) for Taya's arthritis, we are happy to say that she received steroid shots in both knees (was put under anesthesia) a little over a week ago; she seems to be doing much, much better from it - virtually no limping, we can straighten her left leg a little better, and she is just running around and hyper like a 2 year old should be (and I thought she was pretty active before!) It is so fun to watch her enjoy herself physically & helps me to have perspective instead of dread her high level of energy that I can't quite match. The shots are supposed to take effect for 6-12 months. If her symptoms come back after 2-3 months, it would be considered fairly ineffective. So we will wait and see & enjoy her health NOW. On another note, if you think of any networking connections related to Paul's or my abilities (Paul - architecture, 3D renderings, logo designs, woodworking; Me - custom closet/cabinetry designs/bids, interior design assistance, psychology major/music minor) let us know! I feel funny putting that out there sometimes, but obviously this blog isn't about holding back when I feel funny so I figure I should mention that since it's been a while - but we could still use your help!

If you made it to the bottom of this, you're one loyal friend or big procrastinator or have a lot of free time on your hands! ; ) And now you're dying for something light to brake up all this seriousness - you'll have to find a funny blog now:)

Fish Splash, she was taking a bath! (too cheesy? and btw, she wasn't taking a bath)

2009-08-10T23:11:00.009-07:00

You can finally exhale now (you can thank me - your face was turning blue) because as promised, here are the photos of Taya's fishy birthday party splash! It was fun to create, so fun to see friends that generously drove the distance to join us (thank you again!!), fun to see Taya have a ball, and most of all, fun (yes fun) to hear her say "I yiiiiike fishies" over and over again for days as she looked up at the fish decorations and enjoyed her new present (a Beta fish - am I daring or what?!).

(I am anxious to get back into blogging more; once I have more computer availability again - scout's honor , I will blog more!)

Isn't this a pretty sea photo? We found it online and threw in a little text.

The floor was filled with blue balloons below these fish and we even used Taya's napping noise machine for ocean waves as background noise, which was soon drowned out by happy laughter.

A few other main fishy details at the party were fish shaped ice cubes, goldfish crackers, Finding Nemo playing in the background, and the classic fishing for treats/party favors game for the kids.

These pictures make me smile.

This cake was actually pretty fun to make; I think I'd try a fun cake again! And look at those cute fish sugar cookies Bianca so kindly made for me - they were adorable and so good! Thanks again Bianca!

Can you hear her? ... "I yiiiiike fishies" (yiiiiike = like)

Mr. fishy is enjoying his Ikea rocks as surroundings pretty well I think!

And that's it!

Taya Two Taya Bo Baya ... Taya!

2009-08-01T01:16:00.004-07:00

Taya turned 2 this week!! Here is a recent pic for now; having a fun party today ... more to come later.

We love Taya so much; I've especially had that feeling lately where sometimes I think I'm going to burst I love her so much.

Happy Birthday Taya!!

Making Up for Lost Time

2009-06-30T01:14:00.002-07:00

This makes 7 posts in one day! Can you believe it? The trick is to find them; kind of like our own little 'Where's Waldo' game, see these posts span back to May 4th and have a couple of posts in between that you have already seen (pretend they were a sneak preview, it'll make you feel good).

As much as I am usually a pretty regular blogger, I also try at this point not to pressure myself or get down on my blogging self if I go too long without posting, but by this point it had just gone too far; I think I lost all 3 of my blogging fans. I have just been a lot busier and consumed lately, but as I went to think of something (nothing came to mind) to post, I looked over my 'drafts' and realized I had several recently that I never finished or just decided not to post for one reason or another.

So, put those slippers on, let your hair down (in slow motion if it makes you feel sexier - yes, I said sexier ladies), kick your feet back, pat your pillows, have a fully stocked fridge of favorite snacks within arm's reach, grab your food storage, have a camode installed near your computer - or just sit on the ol' toilet if you prefer, send your kids to college, and relax - you have 7 posts (including this one) to catch up on!!

(I'm lucky if you make it through this post, let alone 7)

Unpredictable Blogging

2009-06-18T21:58:00.005-07:00

Doesn't my blog posting just keep you on your toes? (That's a semi-nice way of acknowledging my recent lack of posts) ...

I notice the less that I post, the less I post - make sense? When Paul is home and working on our computer so much of the time and we're juggling busy schedules, blogging gets put on the back burner whether I mean to or not. And then even when I have time to blog, I'm just not even in the mode, you know yo? Did I just say 'yo'? I'm white aren't I? Like white-white, with freckles? Well, what can I say, it just came out? Anyway, back to my point ... that was .... oh, I guess I hadn't really made a clear point or story or moral of quirky story yet, so we'll correct that with .. to start with a point...

Rejuvenation. Last weekend and today I had some much needed rejuvanation. Especially today. Why did I need rejuvenation you ask? -- interior design internship, Classy Closets designing/follow-up/meetings, sorting out a mess of insurance denials for Taya to see needed Medical Specialists, juggling all this while attempting to take care of Taya and all the norm, church callings, while Paul continues to juggle a house remodel, a shutter piece work job, multiple architectural and furniture design projects - in the hopes of earning future commissions ... and then some! But I'm enjoying my interior design internship and really hope to help friends, family, strangers with home projects over time (maybe business projects too!). I do miss Taya (for the most part) while I am there working, but I keep going off the feeling that this internship has felt good for me/us - even if it is just for me to be reminded of how much I love my little one and want to be with her. We've been feeling a bit frazzled with this new combination of weight responsibilities, but I think we've just found a way to balance it and remove a tiny bit of the load (though some new portions were just added) ... I'm not a super routine oriented person by nature, but in the last month, I have been wanting to create some routine and set aside time for quality connecting with Paul and Taya. Finished Addition: So some of the much needed rejuvenation we found a couple of weeks ago was through camping in beautiful tall pines with friends, including a beautiful lake hike and fishing, and then my personal favorite -- spending a good full day with Jessica & Melanie and all of our kids, these are two of those priceless people in my life, and it is so nice to live a short drive's distance from them. It was just one of those days for me that was purely happy. And I needed that.

We all need a lil' bit of that rejuvenation sometimes (occassionally we think we don't, pretending that it won't be worth putting duties on hold, but it is not only needed, but usually far more important!)

Updated note: ... Have found some time to have FUN with Taya - she loves swimming these days, and she amazes me more and more all of the time - still trying to create that routine and set aside some date time with Paul.

Too Busy to Avoid This...

2009-06-10T11:44:00.004-07:00

I haven't posted in a while because we have become especially, 100% super busy recently

(I have taken on a part time interior design internship + we have several other projects going) ... So busy that we can't even keep an eye on our child - even when she is sitting right under our nose! (As in, Taya was sitting on Paul's lap when she did this!)

Perhaps the blue stacharoo is in style these days?

Bzzzy

2009-06-04T22:58:00.006-07:00

B-U-S-Y. That's what I've been - and it's not going to stop anytime soon this Summer. I just started an interior design part-time internship last week with some great designers in Phoenix. It seemed like a crazy thing to do, but Paul and I both felt good about it; whether it turns into a job (always looking for part-time) or just gives me enough confidence & knowledge to turn my interest into more of a skill, I am excited for the learning and exposure of something I enjoy so much. Why do I enjoy interior design? ... Plenty of reasons I'm sure, but most of all, I find myself frequently in awe of my natural surroundings on Earth given to us by our Creator. Home is such an important place; I love the thought of surrounding ourselves with beauty and expressing who we and our family are through our homes (doesn't have to be the fanciest or priciest item at all) - and of all places, I love the positive influence home can have in bringing us peace and calmness, comfort and joy. Of course the things we do in our home and the way we treat each other dictate this more than anything I think, but there is still a surprising amount of influence from our tangible surroundings. So I guess I just love finding positive ways to encourage love, art, beauty, creativity and laughter to flourish in our surroundings. Now if I can just pick back up on some projects for the house (such as a lacquered sepia photo collage I've never finished)!

- And that's what I had time to write; I wasn't going to publish it before, but now with my little game that is providing for a very less than mediocre blog, I will post and leave you hanging with unfinished thoughts!

This is just the beginning (depending how you look at it)

2009-05-26T23:02:00.007-07:00

Um, will you still like my blog if I post most of these pictures again in a more collective post that makes a bit more sense?

Call me today or tomorrow, but do NOT call me tonight!

2009-05-21T13:54:00.006-07:00

(I briefly posted this the day of this show's premier, only to see that their image didn't fully come through ... buuuut, here it is anyway)

Uhh, can you tell Me likey?

No DVR + a love for DANCE= Attention for one thing only while this show is on!

Would you say I'm a bit obsessed?

Just the Two of Us!

2009-05-18T23:31:00.003-07:00

Does anyone else find this picture hilarious? Ok, maybe not quite hilarious (almost though), but really funny?

(...cheesy, odd proportions, Taya's cooperation with folded arms? ... It's all funny to me ... I can't even remember why we thought to take this picture in the moment...)

My brother who is in film school has a policy against seeing any movies in which the two main characters are standing back to back, arms folded, perma-grins & all ... so this one is for you Ty!

W-w-w-wants

2009-05-12T21:38:00.005-07:00

I just wanted to say Hello. Hello blahblahBlog. (That reminds me; as a kid, when you wrote in your diary, did you address it as 'Dear Diary' and talk to it like your best girlfriend? I always found that amusing ... now as grown up online diary writers, we can say 'Hello Blog' in a Pollyanna-like voice, whach U think about that?)

I haven't had time to do my follow up post to that last interior design survey ... my thoughts will come soon (I want to pull together some ideal pictures as ideas and examples ... can anyone tell me where to get great photos for blogs? ...Variety to choose from, crisp clean photos? Are Flickr and Photobucket my main options? I especially want to draw from great interior design photos ... if you have a tip, let me know!) Sometimes the next post I want to do that takes more time keeps me from posting all the little things I think of in the meantime!

Which leads me to what is on my mind ... WHAT I WANT ....

I want a digital SLR camera - I have been wanting this for some time. I saved funds to contribute to my known high school graduation camera so that I could get an upgraded choice/35 mm ; then about 5 years ago, my poor visual tool companion disappeared (I think movers might have taken it) ... I never quite learned all the tricks and tools to use the potential of that camera, but my desire to take eye candy has been inspired again in recent years and I dream of the day when we will bring home a digital SLR. I absolutely love beautiful photos - especially on bloggy-blogs. A picture of a carrot, a picture of a trash can, if done beautifully - I don't care, I love it!

Ok, side tracked.

I want to cook a lot for years and years. I want to cook with wholesome foods and I really want to share a love of food and cooking with my children; my family. I want to treat food in a way that inspires my kids to try new things (ironic coming from a person who still nitpicks at a few certain items); and I want to treat cooking in a way that lets my children know that I cook for them because I love them, and that I cherish the nourishment available on this earth, and brought to our home. I want them to be grateful for the amazing variety of nourishment provided to us by our God; an area of life that we can display self-control in, creativity in, and use of our senses in. I've been thinking recently about how it helps if I just know I will spend a lot of time in the kitchen - it's a social place and conducive to great learning; if I just become okay with the idea of cooking day in and day out, I think my family and I will enjoy it all more. (Believe me, even though I love food and often love cooking, I'm not all cheer about it all the time - which might be the inspiration for my want here - some of my more dramatically stressed moments are over cooking gone wrong - and I have plenty of days lacking inspiration of what to cook!) .. But I love the idea of food bringing happiness and inspiration to our lives since it is something we partake of multiple times a day every day.

I want to plant a garden someday ... sooner ... or later (I'm still a little intimidated by it, and feel like we need to save some funds for its start-up). I love the idea of eating right out of the garden, of watching my children observe and nurture the growing of living things, and of supplying ourselves with some of our own food (do you like how I have one child, but constantly say children instead of child?; I guess that comes with a lot of assumptions & expectations, but it comes with no hints, I repeat, no hints).

I want to have a home that is inspiring for learning, creativity, art, growing, (of course loving - and I don't mean that minimally), and did I mention creativity? Paul made me a card for Mother's Day (plus crepes for a morning of breakfast in bed!) that had Taya's colorful scribbles all over the front & back ... I look forward to more and more children's art displayed around the house, and adorning Paul's work desk.

I want to teach my children to love themselves; to know they are children of God, to not measure their worth based off of others' opinions or upon other factors that will offset them. I think the best way we can teach them this is to continually be grounded in our own self-worth; to love ourselves because God loves us, to know that we always need the help of our Savior and the Atonement, that we cannot do it all on our own - because we are human and are subject to normal human error. I am continually learning more about this, even when I thought I already knew some. And I think it is one of the most, if not the most crucial basis to having personal peace and to raising a grounded family - and one of peace.

I want to have a home of laughter. Finding humor in the big and little moments, in the serious and silly moments - is such a breath of fresh air - such a sanity saver. I've been cracking jokes all week; cracking myself up, and getting a smile out of Paul here and there, possibly more because I find myself so amusing, but hey - whatever works! My jokes hadn't come to mind as much in the past few weeks and this week has been much easier (most of the time)! My Dad cracks some of the funniest comments around and my Mom is one of the funnest people to laugh with - laughing is definitely an activity in my family. I'm glad I found a man who makes me laugh. Taya shares her own sense of humor already too. I love it.

I wants plenty of things; some may come, some may not - or all in their own timing. This is not a wish list with discouragement/I better get it done or else! -- It's more of my fond wish list (and have I mentioned I'm a bit idealistic?) - these are just some of the things I find myself daydreaming of these days.

What do you daydream of?

p.s. some of my temporal daydreams include crafty creations from Etsy members like these ...

A Peek of Preferences

2009-05-04T23:31:00.003-07:00

So this along with a few others, is a post I started and never finished in this last month; so while I wait to make some sense of it to you, what are your captions?

Or what do you think I was going to say about it?

It's our little game.

Humor me.

And don't you like my title there? It has a ring to it, if I do say so myself (that is the most self-praising phrase I throw around on this blog occassionally isn't it?)

This makes me want to cook!

2009-05-04T23:22:00.003-07:00

What do you get from this post?

Write a 300 hundred word essay on it and get back to me.

Interior Design - what do you prefer?

2009-04-30T22:40:00.005-07:00

I want to know what makes an ideal home interior to you? Do you want the aesthetics to have a calming, peaceful effect? Or a warm comfy effect? What about a more eclectic & artsy take? ...Simple & minimal or cozy and filled with memorable items? As you get into styles, do you want absolute classic; and if so, do you want a more simple classic or a more ornate classic? What about rustic? Do you want modern, (or are you intrigued by it, but feel you can't pull it off or that it would be trendy)? Forget about cost or exactly what you think you CAN do; what overall feel do you want to your home?

How much do you think the feel of your home affects you and your family? Is it something worth a lot of effort to you? -(and yes over time, some of the money will add up some, but there are less expensive ways to keep it beautiful!)

I want to know what you want out of your home! Even if you feel it's full of hand-me-downs with no room for spending at this moment, I want to know what you envision as your happy interior.

This living room combines a sense of calmness with accents of warmth and artistic touches, but overall, gives an unassuming yet well designed comfort and ease on the eye. Some of the good things working for this living space include: good use of peaceful muted colors for the large color items (walls, couches) combined with small accents of bright colors (pillows, accessories), nice display clusters (vases, accessories off center complementing their supporting furniture instead of competing with it), radial variation (ie. round table -child friendly!- & circular pillow pattern to soften up all of the squared off lines), and last for now; good area rug use (ie. throwing a rug down on hard floors as opposed to carpet, as well as overlapping furniture on it; it is always good to overlap furniture legs or at least a coffee table on an area rug - otherwise, it feels a bit empty and awkward).

The main thing I would possibly change is the oversized pictures on the tv wall; I think the homeowners might be trying to make that wall the focal point wall instead of the fireplace wall (which I think could have been a great focal point wall, '70s era and all); they still could have achieved this with slightly smaller picture frames or a different decor arrangement.

****

I truly do want to help friends and family decorate their homes when they want my help - I'm not just saying that; I really want the experience because it is something I love and want to become more experienced at. This does not mean I will try to push my personal taste of modern on you or that you need to spend a lot of money on buying furniture or accessories (I actually like the challenge of taking what furniture and accessories you have & rearranging it all for the most comfortable flow and feel in the home - this is especially important if your home is listed in the real estate market). So if you're up for my interior opinions and ideas, let me know! This can be done long distance as well with pictures/descriptions.

Pure ...

2009-04-27T22:38:00.002-07:00

Heaven ...

This homemade buttermilk syrup & this Belgian waffle recipe topped with real whipped cream & fresh strawberries throw a party in your mouth/combine for exquisite dreamland/provide scrumptiously lucious pleasance for your taste buds!!

(If you are a food critic, please take my food critic language satire lightly! ..... What? You don't think I could possibly attract a food critic with this post?)

(FYI: Did you know you can skip buying butter milk and instead stir together 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar with almost 1 C. milk, let it sit for 5 minutes & then call it good as buttermilk? ..Works like a charm!)

(If you decide to make this breakfast, don't say I didn't warn you of snow mound-like amounts of sugar requirements - I'm warning you now)

( )

(Just wanted to do one more set of ( ) )

Everything!

2009-04-21T22:26:00.003-07:00

Have you noticed the entire right side bar on my blog has been missing for over a week? Ok, maybe that's a bit indulgent to think you noticed - I'll stop flattering myself. But I didn't even want to try tackling the tech problem -- now I'm proud of myself because I got it all back!

(I had to repost my last post to accomplish this)...
(that's how I like to start my posts - enthralling i'n't it?)

... It's been a busy last month ...
**One weekend visiting Paul's parents in Southern California = beach visit & good beach stand Mexican food! ...Taya wasn't so fond of the beach - crazy girl!
**One weekend visiting family in Las Vegas for my wonderful niece's baptism = non-stop cousin entertainment for Taya
**And then 3 different sets of company in town to top it all off = washing lots of sheets! (but I'm not complaining - we love you Company!)

The occasion for one of those sets of company was Paul's birthday last week! I got Paul's sister, Alissa, & her family (with 2 cute kiddos that we love!) to visit as a birthday surprise for Paul. We cooked and ate like crazy to celebrate Paul's birthday & Easter ... birthday menu? -- barbecue ribs I had from a great sale, baked beans, sweet potato fries, dinner rolls, a bacon wrapped grilled cored onion with butter in the center, and a fluffy cheese cake that Alissa made - it was a wonderful dinner if I do say so myself! (definitely not void of hours of cooking) ... I love cooking special meals for Paul's birthdays; any special occasion is made better by great & memorable food!

Paul deserved a good birthday; I hope it was a happy weekend for him. He has been really fortitudinous (do I sound smart?), humble (which apparently I am not), courageous, hard-working and eager to improve his skills, networking, and business approaches during these past months without a full-time job. I'm grateful that I get to spend so many birthdays with my Loaf! (Loaf? ...Guess you had to be there)

Easter was wonderful too; all the traditions, a quick stop in the park for pictures in our Easter Sunday garb, a nice Easter dinner at my parents' house, and most of all, a true chance to think about Christ's resurrection - especially during our musical program that was put on at church. I really do believe that Jesus Christ came here to Earth to suffer for each our sins and sorrow for each of our tribulations; and not only that, but die for us and return in resurrected glory. It is nice to know that through His life's example, we can have more happiness and peace in the present during our lives if we tune into that same love and peace that he shared, and then by his acts of sacrifice & Resurrection, that we can also go on to live again after this earthly life and be with Him and our families. I am grateful for a day like Easter that reminds me of these blessings. These are the things that I personally and truly believe and they help me greatly in my life.

Last week was not the easiest week for us ... the somewhat temporary drafting job that Paul has had recently got cut short and all employees were laid off that Monday. Later that week, we found out that Taya may very well have Juvenile Arthritis (which type & level of severity, we don't know yet)...(for the last 6+ weeks she's had a slightly swollen left knee, bad limping - particularly in the mornings after sleeping, and hasn't 100% straightened it). However, that same day that we found out about Taya, we attended the funeral of a man from our church, Dave Carlson, who has been a notably kind, warm, down-to-earth man to have as an acquaintance - and will truly be missed. You could tell the kind of impact he had on people because the building was completely packed. Because he had cancer & had gotten to a point of knowing he would die, he was able to share learned reflective perspectives with his family that they shared with us in the congregation. One out of the many wonderful perspectives that helped me that day was telling us to be grateful for the blessings we have and not dwell on the blessings we don't have. This helped me to think about Taya's health and be grateful that she is here and has the opportunity to learn and grow in this life and to not dwell too much in disappointment on the abilities she might possibly not have down the road (we really don't know how severe yet; she may have plenty of abilities).
Also, watching a Hallmark movie documenting the life of a Polish woman who was a social worker during WWII and helped save and cherish the lives of 2,000+ Jewish children helped me to put things in simple perspective right away - uh, that's humbling. At the end, the woman herself was filmed before she died asking people to ponder the sacrifices of these Jewish mothers this Mother's Day who knew they were headed to concentration camps and had to give their children up, not knowing what would happen. CAN YOU IMAGINE?? Wow. Like I said,

PER-SPEC-TIVE.

There are so many lives and stories to learn from. I think that's partly why hearing each others' stories via blog is so refreshing.

This week has started out much better; the possibility of one 4 month contract job is on our horizon as of today and we had the weekend to breath and enjoy each other and friends; so we are starting out fresh (I wrote this earlier in the week). Sometimes I think Mondays are overwhelming, but this is a week that proves they are nice cleaned slates!

(Sometimes my verbal positiveness is more than anything for myself - to help myself stay positive and to reaffirm it - it's not all roses and cheer all the time. I generally think there is a natural disappointment or shock reaction to bad news that is understandable to have; and then after that I think we can mostly choose how we want to handle that struggle - positive/constructive or negative/destructive ... though sometimes I find the little tiny struggles in life can be hardest to be positive about as they happen in the moment ... what do you think?)

I know I'm long winded - I just figure you all know you don't need to read any or all of it. So I just ignore disclaimers, but here is one for ya :)

2009-04-18T22:40:00.004-07:00

(This post is kind of a part 2 or follow up to my last post)

Children. Our Children specifically -- are learning everyday and it is amazing to watch them learn & grow, and at such a full and quick pace. Inspiring even. And that's what I've been thinking about ... What qualities about your children inspire you? I said it in the last post and I believe it is true: there is so much to learn from children. All of the many things we have learned and accomplished as adults are great, and not to be ignored (though remaining humble is nice), but aren't there many qualities from our children that you notice day in and day out that are worthy of our attention, and even our aspiration?

Learning: I love seeing the rate at which Taya learns as a child - she really is like a sponge (which can be humbling when I think of the little traits of my own that I want to suppress so that she does not pick up on them). If we could maintain that excitement for learning as adolescents and adults that little children have, it could be amazing!
Passionate: Taya can be so passionate and just have such raw emotions. Perhaps the whining emotion or the screaming emotion will be good things for her to learn to change a bit as she grows older (sooner than later would be nice!), but her belly laugh and her huge grin response when somebody comes to our door and her happy go lucky walk that she gets sometimes - remind me that she is experiencing life without 2nd guesses and with full gusto instead.

Uninhibited: This is similar to passionate, but just the way children can be silly around each other and ask questions of strangers that turn their moms' faces white ... ok, so maybe these things are good to sensor as they get older and mature, but some aspects of it are just nice to see. They don't overthink things; I can be a big overthinker, so this trait is sometimes very appealing!Things are just simple with kids. Ok, maybe wishing to be simple is just that - wishful thinking, because we all know that life gets more complicated as we gain more responsibility. But there is still something to be said of being simple. We can keep our lives simple, leaving less room for complicated chaos and more room for quiet or simply joyful emotions where we have clear focus on the most important things in life without distraction. I think it takes great effort on our parts as adults to keep things simple, but it's an effort I want to make as I have more kids and someday have a bustling family. Is this still wishful thinking?

Forgiving: This is a big one. Do you notice how quickly our little ones can giggle with us, kiss us, hug us ... just moments after we have lost a bit of patience with them? I am amazed at how quickly Taya can just go back to showing me happy love shortly after a tantrum or after I've been stern with her. I don't know the make-up of a toddler's brain; I realize you may be sitting there thinking some of these things are just due to a young child's limited capabilities, but I am still amazed at what important attributes children possess that we can learn from. Perhaps she remembers that I love her and accept her despite my being stern when necessary even more than I am capable of remembering how much my husband or a family member love me even when they might get irritable with me. Maybe her ability to forgive also shows her understanding of unconditional love and that she can keep things simple by just showering me with that love shortly after an unhappy moment because she also knows I have unconditional love for her.

I looked up a talk (like a sermon) titled As A Child from one of our leaders of the LDS faith, Elder Eyring; in one part he says:
'Here is King Benjamin’s stirring description of what that change to become like a child is and how it comes to us:
“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”(A beautiful discourse was given by King Benjamin to his people about a century before Jesus Christ's birth - it is recorded in the Book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon)I liked this excerpt and thought it appropriate to quote too with Easter being a couple of days away. I am grateful for days like Easter, that can work as a reminder to value, remember and treasure the blessings we receive from the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Even if one does not believe in Jesus the same as I do, Jesus can still be an example of a life lived with unconditional love for everyone, with great acts of service given throughout his life, and with a child-like love and meekness shown to all of us.

I know there are so many more traits of children that are inspiring. What traits have you noticed? What have children taught you?

P.S. Isn't so satisfying when you do a spell check and nothing is spelled wrong? ... Ok, there's that adult-like pride sneaking in ... ;)

I Want Me Some Groovaloovin!!

2009-04-01T15:05:00.005-07:00

I've been missing something. I think I've been missing it for years now, although much of the time I didn't even know it was gone. Here's the trick: many of you may have been missing it too.

So, now I am searching for it. Yeah, my search is a bit forced, but I'm telling myself the authenticity will enter when it is ready.

So what is it you ask? Well, let's just say I'm trying to write my own sequel to 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back' -- ok, ok, so I haven't even seen that movie, but guessing by the title and the common reference - I can relate!

I'm trying to get my groove back! Where on Earth has it been? And when did I lose it anyhow? Why did I lose it?

Now when I say groove, that is actually just a part of it - just an example. Because, well, some people never have the groove to begin with (no offense) - but you see I did have the groove! Despite my freckles & fair skin, I had the groove! Where did it go?

What I am getting at is that I want some of my childhood and adolescent ways back! Including my groove thang! I love watching kids and seeing how uninhibited they are. There are so many wonderful traits of children that are easy to lose as we grow older. I really have been thinking about this lately. I don't just let loose and shake it or strut it or laugh it (?) like I used to - you know like Gut Laugh It - like laugh so hard I'm peeing my pants laugh. I want that back! (probably without the pee, but hey, if that's the price I have to pay ...). I'm only in my twenties (ok, three years to 30) - shouldn't I still have all of this? Can't I still be uninhibited like a child?

So here is where I have started recently - in order to get my groove back: I have been car dancing! I used to be such a redikoolus(see Balki post) car dancer, shoulders hip hoppin', belting songs out, head going - I didn't care who was looking! Now I'm not saying I want immaturity back, but you know what I'm talking about right? As we enter adulthood, it seems that most of us start shedding some of our fun child or adolescent attributes, and figuratively speaking, stop shaking our groove thang.

So the question is - have you remained uninhibited (I realize there are certain healthy inhibitions to hold onto) or have you lost your groove? If you've remained uninhibited or have relocated your groove, how did you do it?

My recent influx in some car dancing is helping, but I still need to up the ante. I think I need to flood some music that I can't help but move to through the house - every day - that'd help. I already do it some and go a bit crazy dancing, but I would love to do it everyday, and even be able to go nutso dancing when Paul is home.

Now, I love to laugh and I do laugh a lot, but how can I find the pee my pants laughter again? If I find it, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, if you agree that it can get a little bit harder to let loose as the years pass, tell me about it! What are we going to do to keep certain childhood ways as an equal part of ourselves? This is critical here!

If I'm successful, the sequel will be achieved and there will be a future post:

How Breanne Got Her Groove Back!

What can I say - it happens ...

2009-03-25T23:04:00.004-07:00

So does every toddler that's catching onto new words say the words shirt, shoot, or ship wrong - coincidentally wrong? Like, the kind of wrong where an older child who knows better would say, 'Mommy! Mommy! That little girl said a bad word!' or the kind of wrong where an old lady might react by plugging her ears & then give you & your daughter a shameful look while shaking her finger type of wrong? Or the kind of wrong where this little toddler's daddy is cracking up so hard, he calls his brother to share the potty mouth & even video tapes it type of wrong? Or the kind of wrong where ... just kiddin - I won't drag you through another one.

Last night Paul was working at the computer at the kitchen table & said 'Shoot' about something & all of the sudden Taya just said 'Shoot' - we thought it was pretty funny & she repeated it, but somehow she couldn't say shoot anymore. Instead she replaced it from the 2nd time on with 'Sh**' - and because we couldn't contain ourselves, she started saying it over & over & over again ... and over & over ...

This morning I was curious if she would give the same ironic results when I asked her to say shirt - and sure enough! It just so happened to come in handy though - because this morning I was on the phone with someone dear who needed a good laugh. So I put Taya on the phone & asked her to say shirt & she brought that good laugh out like only a child can!

Each time she said it last night, Paul couldn't help his reactions, while I was discreetly laughing trying to shield my face, then moments later attempting to tell her either not to say it or how to say it correctly, just so I could feel like I tried!

(Isn't it completely scary how spongy our little ones are? - they soak up everything we do!! But sometimes on moments like these, you just have to laugh - and then retrack your steps :) )

Ooosh! Balkie! And Results!

2009-03-19T00:02:00.007-07:00

Oh hey there. ... What am I doing, you ask? Oh, I'm just putting on my ooosh so I can go on my balkie, perhaps my fifth balkie today even.

What now? Who? What you ask? ... you know, Balkie! Get the stroller out, put my little Darlin in it, and go on our balkie after we put our ooosh on ...

All day long, starting from the time she wakes up, Taya says 'Ooosh! Ooosh!'and brings us various pairs of *shoes* to put on her. She then either proceeds to take them off & asks to put them (or another pair) on again anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes later .... OR ... she asks us to take her on a 'Balkie Balkie Balkie' - adding up to about a dozen requests per day to go on these *walks*. And if she's really lucky, we'll go en route to the park, where from 100 feet away, she starts saying 'Wee Wee Wee!' to ask to go on the slides. Well unfortunately for Taya, I can only drop everything in an instant and take her on a walk so many times a day (1-2 times right now - some are itty bitty walks). She makes sure to finalize her hints (pretty much demands) by bringing me my shoes, even if it is first thing in the morning & I'm still in my bathrobe.

I'm proud of this girl; this says A)She's got an interest in style B)She balances her passion for fashion with an interest in the outdoors C)She likes to stay active (sometimes she walks instead of riding in the stroller) & D)She's striving to fill big shoes (half the time she puts our shoes on).

DaDa's shoes will do just fine.

It's not always just shoes that Taya brings us to put on her; she loves the layered clothing look as well. See here? She definitely thinks she is ready for our walk. And me on the other side of the camera probably in pajamas or bath robe attire however, am NOT ready for our walk.

Enjoying her BalkieBalkieBalkie

Here's the WeeWeeWee!

While we're on the topic of shoes, how many pairs of shoes do you think the average woman has? How many do you have? And how many husbands do you think are under the impression that their wives' shoe amounts are gaspingly excessive? (yes, I'm making 'gaspingly' a word). I see this over and over again on my closet design work appointments: I tell the couple that after I measure the size of the closet, I will be tallying amounts of rod space needed, etc. & counting pairs of shoes for a basis for my upcoming custom design. The wife always immediately looks embarrassed or smug while husband & wife simultaneously tell me how the husband thinks the wife has waaaay too many shoes. Then as I go on to tell them the average female shoe totals I encounter, the wife dramatically sighs with relief of the validation she's been searching for her entire marriage, maybe even her entire life! And I smile, feeling a bit validated myself.

So how many do you think? I have my mental totals for what's a little for a woman, a lot, and just about average. After I get your votes, or even juicier - your confessions (if you're embarrassed, you could always comment anonymously), I'll add my totals and maybe find some official sources to compare against (since I know you're all dying to know womens' shoe total averages)!

Based on Taya's 'Ooosh' interest, I'm afraid she might be on her way to the gaspingly excessive end! (except probably not under our roof!)

****************************************************************************

Post Edition just for you!

So as for shoe pair averages? Here are my mental tallies according to my closet designing appointments:

Women: Low = 5-20, Average = 20-40 (especially 25-35), Pretty High End = 40-60, Really High End = 100 +/-

Men: Low = 7 or less, Average = 8-15, Above average = 15-25

BUT, the highest tally of shoes I've ever counted in a closet was for a MAN! He was a sports reporter & had dozens of suits & over 150 pairs of shoes.

My internet search didn't turn up much, but the one main result I found said the average woman owns 19 pairs of shoes; do you believe it? Are my demographics that off? It's ok, just throw that number out the window if you want so that next time your husband rolls his eyes at your amount of shoes, you can say, 'Breanne counts shoes in her job & says this is normal! I'm normal! And my shoes need me like the desert needs rain!' - that last part is optional

So I started this original post one night; couldn't think of one of the parts of it that I wanted to write; well I put it to rest, then finished it the next morning, still forgetting the last part I wanted to include: then in the comments Francesca took care of it for me - wonderful woman she is! The real D) that Taya's 'Ooosh & Balkie' obsession says about her is that she adores Balki from Perfect Strangers and wants her first full sentence to be something like 'Don't be reedikoolus'. C'mon, you remember Perfect Strangers right? See our dear Balki friend here? So that's the real meaning of this all I guess. (?)

Man, I wish Paul wore red silk shirts like Balki. If only ...

Three's Company

2009-03-11T15:21:00.004-07:00

Imagine three awkwardly skinny girls walking the neighborhood block, ... or depending on the day, roller blading or biking it. Swim suits partially covered by shorts soaked through on the hiney with bathing suit wetness... Stair steps in height, spanning over a foot's difference. You would have thought they were sisters with at least a few years age difference, rather than friends aged within 11 months of each other. ...Always giggling, probably about the night before when they had stuffed their older sisters' wonder bras with socks under their shirts for pretend, making sure to keep the bedroom door locked to any siblings who would surely tell the entire world of their 'stuffy' secrets.

They played restaurant through the window connecting the kitchen to the back patio, serving bread spread with peanut butter topped with cinnamon & sugar, and English muffin pizzas. Each New Years Eve, they recorded themselves on cassette tape documenting the year or the evening, or whatever entertained themselves most at the moment.

Weekend after weekend, these girls' parents were approached in the most careful (and even childishly manipulative) ways possible begging for yet another sleepover. Whose house would the sleepover be at this time?

These friendships started (hip attachments included and all) at ages 7/8 (even age 6 for two of us) and are still strong to this day! Perhaps it was that Friendship Pact four of us made at Dillon's Beach on our multi-family camping trip during early middle school.

(Remember that too Kara? - good thing we've gotten back in better touch the past couple of years, we would have broken the pact! Not to mention, I completely value our friendship!)

These particular three included Jessica, Caitlyn and me! Jessica & I found a chance to be college roommates for a year and we were able to keep close tabs with Caitlyn who was in school a couple of hours away. Now we still all talk regularly on the phone, even all three on conference call sometimes. Our conversations have gone from planning carefree summer days filled with swimming days & rather interesting versions of lemonade stands to boys to young adult relationships and woes to married life to pregnancy to young motherhood.

Well, lucky me!! Because now I don't just have to have PHONE CONVERSATIONS with at least one of these dear friends; Jessica! I just found out a few days ago that Jessica, her husband & their two adorable daughters (just older & younger than Taya) are moving here to the valley for PA school for her husband (Dave)!! I have known that this might be a possibility for a long while now, but even last week they thought they were probably choosing a different school in California.

Lucky for me, they're coming to sunny Arizona instead!

Yay! Time to celebrate! Should we stuff our bras, pick up roller blading again, or make a celebratory cassette tape recorded with nonsense to celebrate?! Probably get together and watch our daughters play is more like it (but we'll just remember the good ol' days). Except what I love about our friendships now too, is that it's not just about remembering the good ol' days. We continue to relate & have substance & understanding of each other.

Maybe we can get Caitlyn to visit us if we're lucky!

Can't wait to have you here Jess!!

See that foot difference in height I'm talking about? Our lovely outfits were for the school talent show in which we had performed our sweet Michael Jackson jazz number. Oh, and the faded pics? Those are of us performing our little toe shoe ballet number to Pocahontas at Girls Camp in the lodge.

And then there are these glamorized photo shoots my brother-in-law humored us by doing while we were in high school. I love the over-the-shoulder effect. It cracks me up!

(Me=left, Jessica=middle, Caitlyn=right)

Poster Child

2009-03-04T23:27:00.008-07:00

So, you remember how I said Architect magazine had interviewed Paul about his layoff? And how the photographer, Joe Pugliese granted us with his artistic presence for a photo shoot in our home?

Well, looksy here...

Looks like I can check that off my Honey-Do list (pheeww, I was beginning to wonder when he was going to get that one done!);

To-Do: Have husband & daughter on a magazine cover - check!

Pretty crazy & cool huh? We're crossing our fingers for opportunities that could eventually come from this; even if it is not now (but hopefully it is), but even later when Paul can contact the editor that he now knows with a project that is deserving of publishing -- that's his (and my) dream :) He is quoted 2 or 3 main times in the article; we had no idea he would be on the cover until a couple friends started calling him with the news -- it took an extra week for us to get our copies!

Fortunately Paul just started a temporary drafting job that is helping for now, but he is still thoroughly searching for a permanent architectural position.

This link goes to the magazine website, and to the article specifically (The cover with Paul on it is shown on their home page. That 2nd picture - which is the 1st page of the article, is on the 3rd page on that link). This link goes to a digital reading version of the magazine, with the article shown on pgs. 57-63.

It was a good one!

2009-02-25T23:49:00.007-07:00

Thank you for all of your nice birthday wishes!! It was a good day! 27, sounding closer to 30, but I don't mind that. My parents took me out to lunch, my choice: Thai Food. I have loved Thai food for a long time, but haven't had a whole lot of it in the last couple years. Thanks Mom & Dad! I received some phone calls from good friends & family. And then of course - I got all of your comments! 28 all together! (Thanks Francesca for boosting that number, hehe!). I was so happy to get all of your birthday love here on my blog, but I do think I will go back to not being so public about my birthday in the future - because well, it just felt too much like I was asking for it (since I kind of was, ok, not even kind of; I was). But that doesn't mean I didn't like getting all of your birthday comments!

Paul & Sean (Erin's husband) threw us a semi-surprise birthday party together that night! About an hour before people were supposed to arrive, Paul got out balloons & streamers & smiled -- 'Wanna help me decorate?' -- haha, such a smooth man he is. I thought it was really thoughtful of him. It's not that I was turning a big number or anything; we don't do parties like this every year, but I think because Erin & I share a birthday (so it's a good party excuse) & Paul & I don't know for sure if we'll get to stick around here with his job search; it was a fun excuse to visit with friends (I'm not implying that we are moving; it's just not out of the question is all).

Thanks Loaf for the thoughtful party!

What am I doing in that picture?

Taya clearly thought the party was all about her; she was in heaven - people & food surplus equals one hyper girl!

Check out my post below if you feel like imaginatively transporting yourself to a nice place!

Forgotten Favorites

2009-02-25T12:46:00.007-07:00

Just a few photos of some favorite excursions this past year that I never got a chance to share:

When we were visiting Paul's parents in Southern California last summer, we came across the LA Original Farmer's Market - we will definitely be back! If you live in LA or visit LA, you should go! There was every kind of food imaginable from Brazilian to Cajun to Mediterranean to ... everything!, along with ample produce, nuts, baked goods, you name it! I was in heaven!

Does anyone love farmers markets as much as me? (actually I think my sister, Tiffany does!) There is something about rows & rows of produce - both beautiful in colors & shapes & perfect in taste! I've been checking out multiple farmers markets in the Phoenix Valley lately, maybe I'll share what I've found soon ...
Crepes! How do you decide between crepes, homemade peach ice cream, baklava, and more?!! (You buy one nutella/banana crepe & one ice cream & split them!)
There were rows and rows & multiple sections of people in the market like this.

This is the Sedona artist village we visited on a side excursion from a northern AZ Labor Day Camping trip. Another must if you're in that area! This artist village looked authentically aged (built in the 70s) and has an amazing design to it, giving a really eclectic feel to the ambiance (you must say that word snooty-like). These original trees were just built around, leaving little openings for the tree trunks in rooftops & patio overhangs. Very cool.

Meet my dear, dear friend Jessica & her two adorable daughters! We got to spend a wonderful (but too short) night with her and her family when we visited Utah last fall. Miss you Jess! Jess & I go back to 2nd/3rd grade. I can honestly say that we, along with our third friend to the trio (Caitlyn) will stay friends forever.
BEA-U-TI-FUL Salt Lake; Fall & Winter colliding!
We stopped in at this cute & Yum! Hatch Family Chocolates in The Avenues District of Salt Lake City upon trusted recommendation (Thanks Tiff!) - secret chocolate & hot chocolate recipes = I want to go back for more!!

Irish Twins - Happy Day for us!

2009-02-19T11:09:00.004-07:00

Meet my Irish Twin, Erin! Okay, so many of you that read this already know her - and know how wonderful of a person she is! Well, I'm lucky enough to share my birthday with her every year! Happy day to us!

This picture was taken at our church Christmas party - we could not get over how much we dressed ourselves and even our daughters alike - like I said, Irish Twinners.

Let's make it a good one!

(So do you think you can fill the comment room with 27 comments? My friend Marie did it successfully last week for her 26th birthday - 26 comments - can I copy her? I don't know ... she's awfully popular & deserving of it)

Academy, I mean Premio Dardos Awards ... (+ 2-day countdown)

2009-02-17T10:27:00.005-07:00

Meet our dear friends, Kim & Joe: I will tell you more about them in a second here, after I thank Kim for awarding me the Premio Dardos Blog Award going around! (By the way, my birthday is in 2 days) The Premio Dardos Blog Award 'acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. (It's the big 27!) Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. (You don't mind subliminal messages do you?) It's a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web." (Because you're getting them & you don't even know it! ... Two days from now marks the day my mom gave birth to me 27 years ago! ... See, you didn't even know you read that did you?) Now I get to award 3 blogs!!

And I choose: Drum roll please .... (my dad being a drummer always provided the best drum rolls, using car dashboards, kitchen tables & counter tops, books & magazines or the always handy knee) ... (Perhaps I should do a birthday post for myself asking for 27 comments like Marie did last week, what do you think? I would like that. If I don't, will you still leave me 27 comments?) (I like cards, phone calls, blog comments, diamonds, luxury cars, new wardrobes, cupcakes & flowers on my birthday; can I count on all of you for these things come Thursday? My expectations are pretty low, so it should be pretty easy for all of you to stay friends with me)

A. All of us who know or read Jana's blog, It's the Little Things, would be quick to think of her on a blog award. She is as witty and hilarious as they come, a wonderful writer & photographer and has a way of bringing the most interesting conversations in her comment rooms!

B. I mentioned Three Bay B Chicks recently when they gave me some shiny attention, and now I will return the favor - because they are wonderful. If you read their blog (three friends write this blog, including my lovely sister-in-law, Kacey), you will laugh-laugh your little head off (what a weird expression we use there huh?), and you will find helpful and hip tips, as well as relatable moms telling relatable stories about their cute to boot little ones. They also share their cultures, including Japanese, Italian, & Vietnamese traditions. AND, they help me fill my little heart whole that misses living in Northern, California, not far from San Francisco (where they reside).

C. I wish I could be short & concise, yet SO funny and clear in my writing like Kathryn is on her family blog. I've never met Kathryn in person, but I think if we lived by each other we could be great friends having lots of fun together. Kathryn's husband created our oh-so-favorite mobile for Taya's nursery. We ordered it like a normal online purchase with some phone calls made here and there about timing and custom details. Eventually, Kathryn & I connected over the phone and soon became blog friends! I am always thoroughly entertained by her posts & think that Taya & her daughter, Riley would make great buddies! Thanks for sharing Kathryn! Hope you don't mind the attention!

Check all three blogs out if you haven't before. You'll be glad you did. And I could have chosen many more blogs to award! You all help me keep my sanity, what little there is anyway.

Now to you THREE blogs I just awarded:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted it to you, along with his/her blog link.
2. Pass the award to other blogs that you feel are worthy of this recognition. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen as recipients.

*******
Now to tell you a little more about Kim & Joe. Paul & Joe grew up next door to each other and know each other's families like their own family, walking in each others' houses without even a knock (or at least Paul doesn't knock). Joe is an AMAZING chef, seriously - he is really, really talented. I had meant to post about our recent excursion to his top notch restaurant, when for some reason it got away from me, so now is my chance - and I can't even do it justice! When we took our first little getaway without Taya right after Halloween a few months back, we stayed in an adorable, eclectic bed & breakfast near the Sugar house district of Salt Lake City. We were very excited to visit Joe's restaurant, Baxter's American Grill, so we gave him a head's up when we got into town. When we sat down to eat, he (being the executive chef - and visiting our table - we felt like A-list Stars) told us only to worry about the entrees and that he would take care of the rest! This turned out to include 4 incredible appetizers, 1 full entree each, and 2 deserts!! He just kept bringing out more and more of these plates topped with beautifully stunning menu items that tasted uniquely mouth watering, and seemed to be the most creative food creations I had ever seen. We came starving, and left fuller than Thanksgiving Day-Full. Take a look at some of the creations we had that night (my camera battery died that night, so I didn't get them all!) ...

My entree: Philly Cheese steak - gourmet style!
Paul's entree, upon chef's recommendation: Roasted Duck (and those roasted grapes were SO good!)

We will literally be forever indebted to Kim & Joe, seeing as they slaved away in my sister's kitchen for our wedding dinner of 65 people 4 years ago, creating food even more beautiful in presentation & amazing in taste than I had imagined. And they would not accept payment other than cost of food; like I said, we are seriously indebted & hopefully someday we can truly find a way to repay them. It is one of my favorite memories from our wedding day, having amazing food creations by a dear life long friend of Paul and his family. Thank you again Kim & Joe. Kim, we missed seeing you when we were there!

Cheers to great friends & great blogs & great food!

Just What I Needed

2009-02-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those long days; you know because of the chilen - yes, the chilen (children if you must be so proper - ok, and in my case, just one - although I was babysitting all day too, but it was mostly the one and only - Taya). The soundtrack of my day sounded something like a heightened mix of whining and screams from my little one (the little darlin has been on one lately - any hints to nip occasional screaming and frequent whining in the bud?). Well, you know how some days are just harder than others to not let it get to you? It was getting to me a little more today, including physically. Maybe this sounds odd, but I've noticed when I let my stress level rise, I get upper back pains - do any of you notice how correlated our mood and our physical comfort can be? Anyway, point made: tough toddler day. Not a big deal, but ya know...

Well, to finish off this tough day, Taya gave me a little gift (I like to think of these kinds of things from her as gifts because that is truly what they feel like; for instance, when she was a little infant and would sleep longer through the night on occasion, it felt like the best gift ever in the morning - and I knew not to count on it each night after - so it was indeed a gift). Tonight, her gift to me was this:

Paul was gone; I was sitting down to eat my dinner and started saying a prayer on my dinner out loud with Taya standing nearby, but I didn't make a big deal of it (as in I didn't tell her to get ready for our prayer). When I finished, I looked up and she was standing there with her arms folded in perfect prayer position (toddler perfect that is) - and even as if she had been through most of the prayer. She had just been rambunctious up 'til the moment I said my prayer and then she not only calmed down for the night, but folded her arms as we have been teaching her the last little while. She normally likes to fold them for a Millisecond if we're lucky, so for her to be standing there very intently & toddler-reverently during our dinner prayer was my little gift for the night (you know how they try to over-cross their chubby little arms above their protruding toddler bellies? And exaggerate their bowed heads?).

It was just what I needed. Sometimes when we have tough days, we don't necessarily get little gifts from our kids who've been part of the source of our stress through the day, but today, I got one. We certainly haven't been pushy in teaching her about prayer, she's so little and it's just a relaxed thing, but they can learn from example starting so young. So to see Taya take something we've taught her and apply it like that was nice.

Maybe this is similar to my last post about attention, but this was another one for the books!

****

In that Look At Me Mom! post, my newly found pen pal friend from India, Ruhi, shared a comment encouraging anyone who read it to go and give at least just one person a phone call or time together or good thoughts; to simply give them attention. She said that she and her co-workers were encouraged in a class to stop then and there and give undivided attention to a friend or loved one, and that the results from all who participated were very special. So I thought I would pass that along and encourage myself & all who read this to stop what you're doing and give someone some undivided loving attention. If you follow through on this, feel free to share what you liked about doing so!

****

Next post up: to tell you about my blog award this week, and to pass along 3 awards myself!

****

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go give my husband some of that attention!

Look at me Mom!

2009-02-05T22:00:00.008-07:00

I had an early evening work appointment today (fortunately). When I got home tonight, I had a couple of different phone calls to take. Meanwhile, Taya was whining & so I tried to find her a couple of things to eat while still on the phone. She kind of ate, but kept whining. Well when I got off the phone and realized she was still whining at me, and basically in my face, I wondered why the food hadn't calmed her down. Meanwhile, she continued to whine at me in my face & demand some sort of attention ... 'wait a minute,' I thought, 'I think I've heard of that word before - A-TEN-TION - yah, that sounds familiar - could that be what she wants? Naaaahhh; well? Maybe.' ... So I gave it a try (okay so we try it every day - for those of you who are worried). I stopped whatever it was that I was doing, picked her up, and the minute I started to even talk to her and tickle her and snuggle with her, she responded as if she were a 6 year old getting her first bright shiny pink bike (flower banana seat with tassels hanging from the handles would be the exact kind to justify this level of excitement). 'Wow!! This attention thing really works!' I thought (while you're now thinking Moron!). A-TEN-TION. 'What a great concept!' I thought, and as I drifted off into LaLa land thinking about the concept of attention, she whined in my face some more and showed me just exactly how to give it.

Okay, okay, so she didn't have to remind me & I am not quite that moronic, - almost, but not ... well, I might be actually. But anyway, it's so simple! Positive attention sent her skipping like it was no body's business! And it makes me happy as well.

I guess I just had one of those little moments where I was reminded about the importance & simplicity of something, and this time it was about giving my daughter simple, happy, undivided attention. Her clear & drastic reaction to it just opened my eyes a little bit more to how much she loves it and how much she loves me.
I am thankful for that.

Now, please all give me some attention and write lovely, high complementing comments, mmmk? ;)

Photo courtesy of Jana's beautiful skilz, Taya - 9 months

Oh, and what do you think - should we try this ATTENTION concept with our husbands and other loved ones? Do you think it would bring great results? Instead of Stop, Drop & Roll, we could say, Stop, Drop & Pay Attention! Ok, so I just took it too far.

T-T-T-Taya!

2009-02-02T22:38:00.006-07:00

How do you make up for a previous post that turns out as kind of a dud? You post pictures of your gregarious daughter!

Gregarious? Yes. Defined as: fond of the company of others; sociable.

That is definitely one of Taya's traits.

(If I could be as entertaining to Taya as a whole group of kids &/or adults, she could possibly stay happily content with me all day long)

(These pictures are from late September, but I had to share! I still need to post the other newborn pictures I took that day of my adorable niece! Maybe this week!)

(Taya & her cousin, Presley who is one year older - they're cute buddies!)

Taya turned 18 months last week. One of the biggest steps for 18 months for Taya is that she is now old enough to join the children's nursery group during church. Because she is gregarious (inserted like a 2nd grade school assignment), she was not scared of entering a big room full of kids one bit. She loved it! (Though I hope she doesn't become too dominant - maybe a nice way of saying pushy - of a toodling toddler for the other kids!)

Another fun thing about Taya starting nursery is that I was recently asked to be in charge of music for our church primary & nursery kids (Primary Chorister). I was a little weary of how entertaining I could possibly be for all the kids, but I think I am already having fun with it so far. But what this means is that I get to go into nursery where Taya is at for a short music time each week, so I love to see her in that setting, following me more as a music leader than her mom, or at least some combination of the two.

Taya is becoming more & more skilled with baby sign language, using it to communicate without me prompting her, so I love it! Taya loves signing more, eat, drink, please, thank you, love you, doggie, baby, bird, potty, and some others. She loves to speak some of these words too along with others, but my favorite word that she says right now is 'bubbles'. Well, okay, I love it when she says 'uh oh', 'eyes' or 'whoa' among others too! She's kind of funny when she says 'eyes' because she points to her eyes, but doesn't know not to poke her own eye - so she's always squinting to prepare for her eye poke.

A few other things Taya loves are: toothbrushes (sneaking into bathrooms whenever she can, climbing on the counters & grabbing all toothbrushes in sight - uh, it's kind of a problem), climbing anything and everything (also kind of a problem!), bubbles, Ring Around the Rosies (the falling down part!), and any kind of social interaction, especially saying 'Hi' & 'Bye' to everyone.

I can't believe she is already 18 months!

Love you T-T-T-Taya!!!

(I was hoping that I would have the rights to say 'Boo Yah!' today after the Super Bowl results, but unfortunately I don't have that right. Shuxy Darn. Poor Arizona. Poor Cardinals. Exciting game though!)

I know you were wondering ...

2009-01-31T08:18:00.006-07:00

So what do you do when your husband is home all day?
Do you shower sooner? Get ready sooner? Put on make-up everyday?

The answer is: No. Not really.
(But it turns out he doesn't shower so early himself on a lot of days either, so I'm convinced it's a 'I never leave the house syndrome')

At least we get to it eventually - in the week ;) (Just kiddin, I mean in the month, just kiddin, I mean in the day - most days)

But do you have more fun? Yes.

Oh, and if you stop by the house unexpectedly anytime before, oooh, 4pm maybe, just be patient & give us 10 or 20 minutes to answer the door (you know, so we can be slightly presentable). Sound good? Good.

So what does a layoff teach you?

2009-01-28T22:48:00.008-07:00

We are just one of many families that have been drastically affected by the economy.

.... I just wrote a few sentences about my thoughts on the economy that even I didn't feel like listening to and then realized all I was writing was BlogBlahBlah...

But aside from the economy/shneshnomony, I did want to share more about our experiences and motivations since I last shared our little unfortunate news with you recently. You know, how we're one of those families somewhat drastically affected by the economy right now - that news.

My reactions that first week in mid-November when we started dealing with being out of work: I just looked around at things we own and felt like they really were just that: things. If I had to see them go, it would be ok! We would survive. And we would still have the most important things to us: ourselves, each other, our family, friends, life lessons & the Gospel of Jesus Christ (specifically the LDS faith for us). It was refreshing to look around and feel better perspective about those things. I believe I am a daughter of God and have been given this opportunity to live here on earth to learn. So the things I have while I'm here on earth are not ultimately my own. This life and the things I have in this life are not mine. I believe it is all our Heavenly Father's. That is why it makes sense to me and many of the same faith to pay a 10% tithe on our earnings. We know that money is going to a better cause and serving others and that in addition to that, we will be blessed for giving back that 10% to our Heavenly Father. This was one of the first times where when we paid the rest of our 10% tithing for the year, we didn't have any proof of future money coming in. We decided to pay that 10% tithing in full anyway, and were immediately blessed with help from loved ones, and temporary job opportunities that would be good enough for us for that time and brought great relief. And I really mean that these blessings flowed in immediately. It was a clear cut result and blessing. I believe blessings come like this when we offer our tithes (or I would imagine we are blessed for donating to other charitable sources as well) and also when we offer our time & energy through service; say you have an opportunity to serve but can't see how you have enough time to get everything else done if you do that service; I have seen and believe that you will be blessed with help to get those other things done if you choose to put service first sometimes (not saying you should put it before your family regularly, balance is needed in all things).

*Gain better perspective on things: Check.

*Strengthen belief in giving even when you don't have much to give: Check.

This experience has been good to put a realistic spin on finances too. Your financial status seems pretty realistic when a layoff hits. This just gives me more encouragement to budget well and always be realistically minded about what money we have and don't have and where the money we have needs to go.

*Strengthen desire & abilities to keep a good budget & realistic financial mind: Check.

It was actually really nice to have this happen over the holidays (I may have said differently if we had older kids who had Christmas expectations). I felt really lucky that our holiday plans already included my entire family to come to Phoenix for Thanksgiving, and that Paul's parents were nice enough to come to us for Christmas. I definitely would have had a sad time if we had had to miss out on family festivities happening in another state or something. It was actually pretty fun to figure out gifts for Taya and a couple little treats for ourselves from a small amount of money left on a couple of gift cards & really good deals combined with coupons at places like JCPenney's (2 sets of pj's free for Taya!) & DSW Shoes($8 on a new stylista hand bag). Basically, it has just been kind of fun to find creative ways to save money; after all, if I spend money that I absolutely don't have to right now, I don't have peace of mind. So it simply would not be worth it. I have also joined Coupon Sense (online program to help you save 50% or more on your groceries). I am seeing very big savings so far, and they are only going to get bigger (as I collect more weeks worth of newspaper coupons). On Monday I bought $220 worth of groceries for $70 (and that is the most I've spent in 2 1/2 months, and I was able to stock up on non-perishable goods).

*Become more creative and hard working with money saving ideas & good deals: Check.

It has been really nice to spend time with Paul & Taya at home on a regular basis. Every day. It has been a little different & makes me notice how I spend my day more when I have Paul around to notice. But it has been good. The only thing I want to really improve on is taking more time to enjoy this time together: it's very easy still for us to be almost constantly focused on finding ways to save & earn money to remedy our situation; there is a lot of work to put into that right now. But I think we have actually found a lot more time to enjoy together & with Taya just in the last few weeks; just little outings, like going to a couple of farmers markets & an antique shop this last Saturday, & going on more walks/play ground visits.

*Spend invaluable time with my HunkaHusband & ToodlingToddler while I have them home more: Check.

Receiving help from family & friends on occasion has reminded us to receive humbly. Because what are you going to do if someone is giving you a much needed offering that they genuinely want to offer & you genuinely need - turn it down? If you have not asked for it & you know you're working hard to remedy your situation in the meanwhile, I think you just have to accept it - & humbly, and then be determined to give back. To give back now in ways you can (babysit, & other ways of non-costing service), and then to give back later; to pay it forward. Receiving helps strengthen relationships too. I feel truly amazed at those friends & family who have gone out of their way to help us in job searching connections & to assist us in a couple of cases, in ways big & small. Those moments when you receive from someone just makes you want to treasure such relationships & to help them with their own needs, now or later.

*Strengthen humility in receiving & strengthen relationships: Check.

This experience also strengthens my desire to be a prepared family: prepared with back up food supply, & prepared with financial savings as well as possible. And also: mentally prepared. No one is invincible & we will all have struggles happen in our lives. It's a lot easier to encounter those struggles when we just assume they will come up, not in a pessimistic way, just in a less fearful, matter of fact way. Interestingly, I kind of had an 'ah ha' moment with this sort of thought the day before Paul was laid off. Even then I felt it as more of a peaceful warning for other possible occurrences to come later on in my life, but now I feel like it was a peaceful warning related to this small experience as well. I am grateful for that warning.

*Strengthen desire to be prepared: Check.

*Listen when you feel warned: Check.

I have felt very grateful for these challenges during this time; not to say there aren't difficult moments or tense days or destructive mommy modes, hehe. But really, I know that we can grow significantly through our trials. I just hope that if we are growing right now, that we can maintain that growth after life gets easier again.

*Be grateful for trials: Check.

I probably could share more of these thoughts I've had over the last 2 1/2 months, but I may have already bored you to tears & I might be sounding high & mighty or like I think I/we have fully achieved each of these things. After all I did say, 'Check' after each one, didn't I? Hmmm, well my 'Check' = 'Working On It'/'Glad For the Life Lesson'/'Motivated' in that area.

I don't want to forget the perspectives that being out of a job has helped us to strengthen. I am glad that we are young in this experience and can hopefully stay motivated from these perspectives as we continue to raise our family.

Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, ideas, generosity & friendship/family kinship. We are so grateful for you and for your charitable ways. We are here to help you as well in our time & energy & prayers for you. We have been lucky to stay afloat so far with a slight increase in commissions in my job & short periodic side jobs for Paul while he continues to search for/create full time employment (which he is doing a very good job of). So we are hanging in there!

Thanks for listening!!

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I hope you don't mind me sharing my strong beliefs & personal experiences like this. They are important to me and bring me understanding & happiness, but I am definitely not trying to be preachy or overly dramatic. I like learning from people's experiences & so I thought I would share my own. I also think these kind of lessons are important as journal entries.

BlogBlahBlah...BlogBlogBlahBlah.....

2009-01-25T22:52:00.010-07:00

There is this character on the show Arrested Development named Bob Loblaw
(we've watched some episodes on www.Hulu.com ; go there if you haven't yet; you can watch shows, series, movies, for free! It's great!).

Say it again. Bob Loblaw. You laughing now? Oh, I love that name. It makes me laugh every time I say it or think about it.

So the next series of laughs to go along with my precious Bob Loblaw corner of my mind to make myself laugh when I need a smile is this. Ever since I've heard that character's name, I keep thinking of blogging talk as blahblah-ing talk. And it goes something like ....
'BlogBlahBlah....BlogBlogBlah Blah..BOBLOBLAW..
blogblogblahblahblogblogblah blahBLOGBLOGBLAHBLAH!'

You know what I'm talking about right? You keep a blog & your friends or family members don't; and some of your conversation topics with them have to do with a funny story or recommended recipe or product that you just happened to see on such and such blog, and the minute you even reference that blog in passing, you see their eyes glaze over (even on the phone, you can hear the glazing take place), then all of the sudden your talking turns into ... '...blogblahblah ... blogblogblahblah...................'

Now I constantly amuse myself going back and forth between Bob Loblaw & BlogBlahBlah in my head.

Just wait, it'll come to you. And when it does, it'll make you smile.

After you've read this post, next time you're referring to such and such on your blog in conversation, even if it's just in passing, you might be thinking...

'BlogBlahBlah....BlogBlogBlah Blah..BOBLOBLAW..
blogblogblahblahblogblogblah blahBLOGBLOGBLAHBLAH!'

Antique Mania

2009-01-22T23:15:00.008-07:00

We visited Cottonwood, Arizona recently on a quick stay in Sedona (thanks to a free stay Mom & Dad!). We came across Larry's Antiques in Old town Cottonwood. Maybe I am just getting introduced to the antique world, or maybe, just maybe .. I am right in that this was one of the biggest little antique stores around! Every corner you turned in the store opened up a whole new variety of antiques to relish and old commercial ditty's to reminisce about (okay, so I wasn't alive back then, but if I was I would be reminiscing about these ditty's). I've been in touristy antique shops, but this one seemed much more entertaining and eclectic to me with everything from pioneer type wagons to a deep orange vintage pitcher sitting on a tilt angle (loved this one!) to an old fashioned egg beater with a beautiful turquoise handle (that I bought for $2) to vintage advertisement signs and old stoves.

So I wanted to share one of my favorites with you here.

Milk Jugs. I can see any of these as a decor piece, inside or outside. I especially love the rusted one on the left & the vibrant blue jug near the right.

Just throw some lemon branches in the blue jug, and set it near your fireplace, on a display shelf, incorporated in your kitchen, next to your front door. The possibilities are endless! And I love the saturated blue. I can't stop visualizing it.

(Photo bucket Picture; unfortunately no lemon branch pictures to be copied, but isn't this pretty?)

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The next weekend after our Cottonwood/Sedona jaunt (I think the word jaunt is amusing for some reason), I attempted a flea market excursion to east Mesa to look for more antiques to share ideas with you, but there were no antiques. Just the worst kind of southwestern pastel art that I could personally do without (no offense to those who like it; it is good that we all have different taste right?), along with silk screened t-shirts & millions of gadgets to clutter your home. No antiques (as advertised). So I will be looking for other real antique markets soon. Because I keep seeing great finds on other design blogs. Does anyone want to venture out with me?

Here are a couple of our other finds.

I love this bright red & this very subtle silvery blue.
See all those antiques in the background? Stories to be told there I'm sure.

Can you just imagine your hair pinned up, your apron tied, in your antique kitchen? I know I like modern, but I could really get into antique accents. Actually, I just like a balance of both eclectically mixed together, yet simple & clean. What about you?

Winners! Winners!

2009-01-20T20:59:00.012-07:00

Are you biting your nails? Are you pulling your hair out? Have you been able to think of nothing else but my Classy Closets Giveaway results today??

(see last Monday's post for reference)

Just as I thought.

Well, wait no more...

Taya couldn't decide on just two of you, so we fired her.

Just kidding, I didn't really peak- (that much). ;)

...

Deanna!!! Come on down!! (And please, don't be scared by my drunk looking expression, or my expression that looks like I'm laughing in someone's face - I promise. I'm not.) I can't wait to meet you!!
And Katie!!! Yay!! I am so excited for both of you!!
(And even I am a tiny bit jealous, seeing as how we haven't been able to buy Classy Closets for our own home in the 2.5 years that I've been designing there).

All of the rest of you that entered: thank you so much for entering, for your enthusiasm, & for spreading the word. Word of mouth can help me in my job so much right now. I would love to give any of you that entered a great big discount if you are wanting to do a project (closets, garages, pantries, laundry rooms, entertainment centers, offices, wall beds, craft rooms, you name it).

Congrats Deanna & Katie!!!

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And on another short, but good note! ...Do you remember how I mentioned that I was listed as 1 of 8 favorite blogs on a favorite blog of mine a week or two ago? You don't? Oh. - you were supposed to remember that. Anyway, that blog is 3 Bay B Chicks, and it is co-written by my lovely sister-in-law, Kacey, along with 2 of her good friends (Francesca & Thuy) who take turns writing posts; posts that are helpful to other moms, and posts that are down right hilarious. They all live in the San Francisco Bay Area (near where I grew up), hence the witty blog title - not to mention they all have good parenting ideas, creative toy & mommy finds, good recipes & hip tips to boot. My brother does an 'Ask a Dad' segment almost once a week, that is always funny. Seriously, my brother is funnier than funny, and anyone that knows him knows I'm not just saying that because he's my brother. I love 3 Bay B Chicks! Go check them out!!! Especially today's 'Ask a Dad'!

Architect for Hire

2009-01-19T08:55:00.015-07:00

Has Paul started modeling you ask? What, would you be surprised by this or something?
The truth: Architect Magazine is doing an article, featuring Paul. So they had this mega talent photographer, Joe Pugliese fly from LA to Phoenix just to come to our house to do a photo shoot of the one & only: Paul (along with Taya in a couple photos too). Joe's website shows his portfolio filled with celebrities (family friendly note: one photo might warrant avoiding going very far on the 'Portfolio: Portraits' section). It was very cool to have Joe & his assistant, Aaron in our home for the photoshoot & to see their process (btw, they use film, not digital, interesting huh?). They were so kind in letting me hang around and ask them questions about their work. I put on my best clothes, did my best make-up and hair, but to no avail: no one asked for any pictures of me ...

I know, I know, it was Paul's shoot.

So why is Paul being featured in Architect Magazine? Well, this is the more unfortunate part: Paul was laid off from Circle West Architects in the middle of November. Amanda Hurley, of Architect Magazine found Paul's resume online & was impressed with it; she gave him a call asking if she could feature him along with a couple of others in an upcoming article about quality architects being out of work due to this economy. Well, obviously Paul was up for the article. (Check it out in February!)

Work it, work it...
It is VERY difficult to find a job in this economy right now, especially in architecture in Phoenix. We are open minded (in location & field of work), so if you have any ideas or networking or opportunities to share with us, please let us know! Paul is licensed (AIA) and LEED accredited (respected certification relating to environmentally sound design). A few of his valuable skills include Revit knowledge (respected 3D rendering program), along with intuitive strength in design. I hope you don't mind me using my blog to try to open up any other possible doors for my husband's career. We have included a slideshow of images of Paul's work on the sidebar there. Some of Paul's other skills include: furniture design & carpentry, graphics & renderings, and construction & home improvement.

Shown below are a few examples of Paul's talented work.

South Bank Mixed Use Development Rendering

Life Cycle Building Challenge Competition Submittal

Frehner Residence, Las Vegas, NV

Student Thesis Project: Cal Poly SLO 2003

If you know of any connection that might be interested in Paul's work, please forward this post on! You can also contact Paul by email at paulhjohnson@hotmail.com.

Thanks for checking us out!