My first try

This was my first attempt at digital scrapbooking AND Adobe Photoshop. It took me three days to figure out. I know it's lame that it took me so long, but I had no idea where to start on Photoshop and my creative juices have been sucked dry over the last ten months. So. This was my first attempt. What do you think? I didn't think it was that bad. Thanks Kristen!

The Cake-makers Dilemma

I truly hate cake. I hate the texture, taste, and smell of cake. It's too fluffy. It's too sweet. The sugar literally burns the delicate skin of my nostrils when I breathe it in. But---I love to make cakes. I love to make and decorate cakes. So what am I supposed to do when I make a cake if I hate everything else about it? Tonight, I made the "I'm-sorry-I'm-a-brat" cake for Jesse. Ideally, I would have LOVED to have made my first fondant cake, but I didn't have the time or resources (my amazing cousin Kristen got me researching and excited about it). I'm going to experiment with that this weekend. (Hmm, I apologize: I do love carrot cake, but that's it). "Funfetti" cake is Jesse's favorite so I made it as a peace offering. I was a total brat today. I over-scheduled myself with last-minute church calling things and errands so I couldn't keep my head on straight. I got mad at him when he didn't IMMEDIATELY end his video game. Heaven forbid I should wait two seconds. So to relax and to get my brain back in order, I made a cake. But now I have to eat it. And I hate to eat it. I truly hate cake. I hate the texture, taste, and smell of cake.

How does she do it?

I'm not quite sure how she does it. What I'm showing you in this picture are Abby's quirky sleeping habits. She sits in "Indian-style" and then folds over on her legs. You can see her right leg in front, and her left is tucked similarly on the other side. She does this EVERY TIME. It's not bad, just... funny. I just don't get how it could possibly be comfortable. Yay for baby flexibility.

Just Say NO

I learned an amazing lesson this week: saying "no" to your babies. Actually, the problem was that I gave in and said "yes" but that will never happen again.

While at the BYU Bookstore, Jesse gave Abby some small egg-shaped rattle toy. It's not for babies, but it made noise so Jesse gave it to her to keep her content. When we were ready to leave the store, Jesse took it back from her to put away. Abby went more than ballistic--she was screaming and trying to find it in our hands. It was an incredibly overwhelming protest. Completely flustered, Jesse walked to the counter and paid the overpriced $2.12 for it. Abby loved it all the way home and last night.

When we woke up this morning, I found the new toy and put on my wide-smile, mom face and said, "Abby, look what I have!" She excitedly crawled to me and took the toy. She shook it twice. I counted. Then she dropped it apathetically and crawled away. I sat there in indian-style staring stupidly at the toy. Stupid toy.

So I learned to say "no" because tomorrow she won't even care.

The Prodigal Shoe

Here I was prepared to write a eulogy for the lost shoe, but to my great astonishment it returned! I bought these shoes at H&M in Costa Mesa, CA, while we were on vacation to Newport. I loved the shoes so much when I found them. They were super cute, sturdy--and quite frankly I just hadn't seen anything like them. While on the shoes' maiden voyage to campus, Abby accidentally--or not--pulled off her shoe. I didn't notice until we were already close to Jesse's office. I was in an absolute panic! I just bought the shoes and I had no idea where she could have pulled it off. I didn't go all the way to Jesse's office. I immediately turned around and walked the long, hot mile back to the house to see if I could find it along the way. I was devastated when I got home to find that it wasn't anywhere along the route. I shed dry tears and pouted at the loss of the shoe. I checked campus Lost and Found a couple days later, but it hadn't been turned in. Well, as you can see, I decided to go check it today while visiting Jesse, and lo and behold the shoe was there! You can't imagine how excited I was! So my favorite shoes are now together forever and never to be parted again.