The Osbornes

You Can Plan On It

2012-01-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

Let's all pretend that I'm wearing makeup in the picture below and didn't just get back from the gym. I'm not one of those girls that dons pearls and lipgloss to go sweat like a pig. Unfortunately, you will NEVER see me looking cute at the gym. Now that we have that admission out of the way...

Let's focus on that little treasure I'm hugging. My life planner!

It was a birthday gift from my brother and I'm obsessed with it. I have to admit...I was a little skeptical when I opened up a $50 gift card to order a personalized planner. Who the heck spends $50 on a planner?!

Steve does, apparently. And maybe I do now too. Because I might just have to order one every year for the rest of my life. I'm serious, it's that good. I'm constantly jotting down little ditties in it.

What I did that day. Goals that I have. Goals I accomplished. To Do's. Future plans.

I fear it has become an addiction. I find myself making dinner just so I can write down that I did. I think Kyle's willing to invest 50 bones a year if that's what it inspires.

It's a good thing I was able to write down the date and time for Karina's neighborhood baby shower...

Ya know, because I might have forgotten that it was at my house. And that I was the hostess. Or not, whatever. It makes me happy when I get to place a bright yellow sticker entitled "baby shower" onto a Thursday slot. It would make you happy too.

And thanks to my planner, I know exactly how many dinners I made this month, gym trips I took, and nights I spent reading the scriptures. As well as the dates of the following get togethers:

Mr. Bryce's birthday party at the park.

She likes to play...can you tell?

My lady friends have gone a little girl night crazy lately. We've had 2 within the last week with another invitation dispersed this afternoon. Well, wouldn't you know, I have some stickers entitled "girl night!" Mmmm hmmm, it's true.

Nail polish, lemon water, makeup tips, baked goods, a game, or possibly a chick flick.

Oh, and a whole lot of talk that would not occur if our husbands were around.

Unfortunately, my planner can be a bit distracting when I'm not careful. And a certain someone gets neglected...

Lydie decided to smuggle her baby wipes and some mail on a little expedition behind the couch. If only she hadn't given up half way through.

"Mom! Put the camera down and get me outta here already!"

Hee hee hee, I'm evil. But organized :)

It's a Woman's World

2012-01-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sarah's Experience at 24 Hour Fitness:
S: Hi, I'm thinking of getting a gym membership here, but I'd like a 3 day pass to test it out first.
Front Desk Lady: Oh, ummm...I don't know if I can do that.
S: Can I talk to your manager? I'm sure it's all right.
Manager: Hi there, what can I help you with?
S: Hi, I'd like a 3 day pass to see if I want to buy a membership here.
Manager: Sure, no problem! Follow me, please. The pass will be good until Wednesday.
S: Hmmm...I actually have plans on Tuesday and Wednesday and won't be able to make it in again until Thursday. Can you make the pass start on that day?
Manager: No, I have to make the pass start from today.
S: Okay, can I have a pass for the entire week then?
Manager: No problem. Enjoy your work out!

*One Week Later*

Kyle's Experience at 24 Hour Fitness
K: Hi, I'm thinking of getting a gym membership here. Can I have a pass for the day to see if I like it?
Front Desk Lady: Let me get my manager.
Manager: Can I see your proof of residency?
K: Uh, I don't have any. I just live down the street though.
Manager: Can I see your driver's license?
K: Sure.
Manager: This says you're from Utah.
K: I lived in Utah at the time. I live down the street now. My wife just got a guest pass earlier this week.
Manager: Getting a guest pass is a privilege not a right.
K: (in shock) Uhhhhh...I don't understand what the problem is. I just want a pass for one day.
Manager: Okay, fine. It's $15.
K: What? My wife just got a pass for the entire week for free and you never asked her to pay or for proof of residency. Why are you treating separate clients differently?
Manager: I don't want to go there.
K: So....you treat women better than you treat men here?
Manager: *staring*
K: *staring*
Manager: Go work out.

It's a tough world out there for men. Maybe that's why Kyle always makes me be the one to return merchandise we've lost the receipt for.

I Swear it's June

2012-01-13T21:48:00.001-07:00

Reason #237 why I love California: I can wear flip flops in January. Truth be told, I'll wear flip flops if it's snowing, but it's much more enjoyable while the sun is shining. I'm such a Cali girl. I'm a sun loving, shorts wearing, pool frequenting, read a book under a tree at noon kinda gal. Lydia and I have been chillin' outside like it's June. And because Kyle had last Wednesday off, the lucky bloke got to join us for a monarch butterfly walk. I know, every man's dream.

We lazed the afternoon away at the Ardenwood Historic Farm, learning about the butterflies, picking flowers, and throwing around the frisbee. I joke about a male's ability to enjoy a day like this, but luckily my guy enjoys a new activity as much as I do.

The butterflies were swarming this forested area. It was absolutely breathtaking.

The telescope was trained on this leafy patch:

Just gorgeous.

After learning interesting facts about the life span, eating habits, and chrysalis making abilities of these pretty creatures, we spread out to explore the rest of the large farm.

Love this happy girl.

Daddy is a lot of fun to play with.

He does things like this...

Which kind of scares mommy, but delights the Lydie Girl.

Mommy prefers activities more along these lines:

There, aren't flowers more fun than flying, Lyd? No? Well, at least I tried.

Everyone's Doing It

2012-01-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've ever officially sat down and made a list of New Year's Resolutions. But 10 minutes before the sparkling cider and midnight kissing commenced, Kyle suggested we start the tradition.

SARAH

1. Learn to Sew: Each time I received a hand sewn gift for Lydia I would think, "Man, I wish I could do that!" And what a practical hobby to boot. With a little luck, I got myself the basic essentials:

A) The actual sewing machine- I was thrilled when a freecycler chose me!

B) Needles, thread, tape measures, thimbles, etc- we had a fun little jar exchange for a Relief Society activity last month. And though my table was the last number drawn...

I still wound up with the sewing jar! I guess everyone else in the ward already had their thread collection. Pshhh...over achievers.

2. Earn My Bachelor's Degree: Yikes! Though I was close enough to graduating to actually walk in the ceremony, I still have 4 little classes left. I knew at the time we'd be moving away, so I planned my last 4 to be online classes I could finish up within the next 2 months. I moved to Texas, got a job a week later, and got slammed with a pregnancy from hell 3 weeks after that. The rest is history...

3. Lose 15 Pounds: Speaking of pregnancies...I gained A LOT. And while I am very happy with the amount of weight I've lost, I just don't feel quite there yet. Kyle likes to remind me that even when I was "skinny," I always wanted to lose 5 pounds. But hey, I'm a woman. We like to talk about losing weight, right? Much to the chagrin of our husbands, I'm sure. There's a diet called Ideal Protein that I'm planning on getting up close and personal with once I'm not nursing anymore.

4. Start a Family Home Evening Tradition w/ Lydie: Confession time- Kyle and I stink at FHE. A few times a year I'll announce on a Monday that we're reading a general conference talk and baking cookies together, but our main goals have always revolved around spouse prayer and scripture study. Now that we have a kiddo, I want this to become a habit in our home.

5. Make a Real Dinner 3X a Week: Ummmm so, I feel another confession coming on. I don't exactly love to cook. But you wanna know what? I've been quite proud of my cooking endeavors as of late. Just 2 days ago I watched a YouTube tutorial on how to slice a portabella mushroom. I know...ca-razy talk. I also googled "al dente." It refers to slightly under cooking the pasta for those of you that are wondering. Oh, you already knew that? Be quiet. With the help of Pinterest I've made the following:

-Lime Chicken Tacos

-Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole

-Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Stew

- Skinny Zucchini Ziti

- Foil Pack Chicken & Broccoli

- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Paninis

- Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

- Baked Macaroni

*And you wanna know what I made yesterday?? Chili dogs...no Googling required!

KYLE

1. Read the Book of Mormon Through Again: Right now, we're reading the Doctrine and Covenants together. So this is Kyle's goal for his personal study.

2. Pass Part 1 Boards: He's a smartie. It'll happen.

3. Go on a 3-4 Day Getaway with my Love: Um....yes. Might I suggest Jamaica?

4. Regular Temple Attendance: We've thought about doing kid swaps for temple date nights. Any neighbors down?

5. Start & Finish a Workout Plan: So, the word on the street is that Cory wants Kyle to run a marathon with him this June. I've also been invited to run a half marathon with Tenille. These people are ambitious. It remains to be seen if Kyle and I have the guts.

Either way, he'll still know he's sexy :)

LYDIA

1. Sit up Unassisted: Girl friend, it's time.

2. Take a Swimming Class: Eek, I'm excited! This chicana is obsessed with water. I know she'll love it.

3. Remain in Car Seat Without Acting Like it's a Personal Torture Chamber:

To test the water, Kyle and I decided I wouldn't sit by her on the way to church this morning. Normally my job is bribing her with different snacks and toys until we reach our destination. I gotta say, it was nice sitting up in the front seat like a normal person.

4. Leave Nursing Behind: Now that Lydia is almost 8-months-old, I'm starting to see freedom in my future! I agree that it can be a special time between a mother and her baby and I'm very glad I did it. Part of me wonders if I'll miss it, because that will mean a chapter in our lives is over. But whenever Lydie is ready to move on, I am too :)

5. Learn How to Walk: Why?

So she can escape this when necessary. But Lyd, we've had this conversation before...it's your own fault for growing such squishable cheeks.

A Seattle Christmas

2012-01-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

To say we were spoiled with family time during the holidays would be an understatement! After a week at Disneyland with the Taylors we flew straight to Seattle to spend a week and a half with the Osbornes. Lydie is now a flying veteran with 8 plane rides to boast of. What is she going to do without grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins to give her constant attention?

Krystal had a bomb Mexican dinner waiting for us the night we flew in.

Of course Kyle & Cory are too busy stuffing their faces to smile.

Notice the sour cream on Kyle's chin?

That means it was really good.

But the best thing we arrived to that night was a surprise visit by Kari-Lynn & Macey! They decided to leave their menfolk behind for a week to come party with the rest of us. I was thrilled to get some shots of the little girls together.

Lydia is just 6 weeks older than Macey.

How lucky are these chickies? Judging by these pictures, I'd say Lyd has already decided that they're good friends.

All of the fun couples ready to party Christmas style...and yes, that is a brother kissing his sister's head. But when you're both spouseless for the week you gotta improvise, right? Okay, so it's a little wrong.

When we weren't out and about, we filled our time with lots of movies, puzzles, & games.

Of the 3 times we played Sequence, team Kyle & Sarah remained undefeated.

Boo Yeah.

Teaching the babies some pool.

By far, the game we played the most was Dance Central on the Kinect.
Just look at them gettin' down.
Once you get past the fact that you're white, you have to shake your booty in front of a room full of people laughing at you, AND you're being recorded, it's dang fun.
But I'll keep the many videos taken under lock and spare you all my thug moves.

The 3 doctors. (Well, almost.)
And what goes hand-in-hand with adjustments?

Massages, of course.

Patty cake :) They are "throwing it in the oven."

Grandma love.

Grandpa love.

Rhonda surprised the girls by telling us we had to open our Christmas gift early. So after a night in the hot tub we all gathered in the den for the big reveal.

A shopping spree!!
I was. SO. EXCITED. You don't even know.

We left in the morning...

And didn't get back until that night!
Midway through, we lunched at Panera. Such a fabulous day with 3 of my very favorite ladies (4 including Macers!).

As per tradition, we gathered at Grandpa Ross & Grandma Elaine's house for dinner one night.

Left: Cousin Erica
Right: Grandpa Ross

As always, Elaine made amazing food!

How cute are these?
I love that both Lydie and Macey are mesmerized by their Great Grandpa in the picture to the right.

Speaking of amazing dinners...

We were spoiled by a homemade dinner every night. I miss it already.
K-L made her fabulous coconut shrimp. I don't eat shrimp. EVER. But I ate this shrimp :)

One tradition that the Osbornes had growing up was to pick a family in need and do something special for them during Christmas time. We were so excited that Rick and Rhonda decided to resurrect the tradition and include all of us. They chose an amazing couple with 5 kids and a grandmother living together. We were each assigned a person and headed out to Wal-Mart.

We had such a great time roaming the toy aisles for the kiddos and consulting everyone else on our choices.

We picked out the goods.

Wrapped them up pretty.

And snuck out into the night.

On one of the more special evenings, the Woodwards & the Lamprechts came over to watch us record the story of how Rick & Rhonda met. Rhonda asked if I would write a book about it someday. It's a ridiculously cute story & I hope I can do it justice.

Before Cory and Kari-Lynn had to head back to their families, we all met at the office for family pics.

Grandma let Lydie open her cute little Christmas jammies early.

"My First Christmas"

On Christmas Eve, we had a big family party over at the Lamprecht's house

The kid table :) I wonder what the cut off age is?

All the girls lovin' on Lyd.

After gettin' jiggy with it in the basement, we had some fabulous festive dessert...

Cousin Kiley & Aunt Linda

And played the candy bar game.

And before we knew it, it was Christmas!

We spent Christmas morning at Rick & Rhonda's ward. The program had amazing performances with both singing and instruments. It was the perfect way to start our day with the spirit being felt so strongly.

Then Ross & Elaine came over and the gift giving began!

:) Golf will always mean love.

What, shoes?!

That I picked out on the shopping spree? Yep :)

Ready, set, go!

Kyle's so cute. He gifted me different chores around the house as well as 5 massage vouchers.

Of course, everyone's most exciting gift is hidden somewhere in the house awaiting a rousing game of "boola boola." Everyone says "boola boola" progressively louder or softer depending on if the searcher is getting close.

Pure Joy.

Kyle and Daniel's "boola boola" was remote control helicopters. All week long Kyle dropped hints that that's what he wanted for Christmas. And because his mama loves him, she took the bait.

Speaking of pure joy, I'm in love with these shots!

Rhonda's "boola boola" was a sweet new phone hidden in the mail box :)

Lyd's turn! She took a 3 hour nap (her first & last...ever) during all of the previous festivities.

Merry First Christmas, sweetie pie!

Grandma and Grandpa spoiled her...

Later that night, we had a gingerbread house making party.

We turned on "Elf" and spent the next 2 hours dedicating ourselves to these masterpieces.

Glorious.

Cory, Tenille, Miley, & Makayla got back into town just in time to spend a day with us!

Tenille practiced applying makeup on me with her new kit that she'll be using for brides.
Take a good look, you'll never see me with this much makeup on again.
If only I had Tenille to do my makeup every morning...

Rick led the annual making of pigs in a blanket from scratch.

And all of us (including Lyd) were very glad he did.

Yum!

Christmas was more than amazing! Thank you Rick & Rhonda for everything you planned and all of the work you put forth so we could have such a fun time! I couldn't help constantly popping my camera out.

So, I know what you blog readers are thinking. "Sarah, enough with the pictures already!" But, I'll have you know, I omitted nearly 100 pics that I could have included. And, as difficult as it was, the following activities went undocumented:

* Multiple walks and jogs along the gorgeous trails.
* 2 on 2 basketball at the church
* A sewing date with Elaine where she took in a skirt for me that was several sizes too big (she's AMAZING)
* A date night for Kyle and I doing a session at the Seattle Temple (thank you Aunt Kiki & Uncle Daniel for babysitting!)

And you know what they say: if you didn't take a picture, it didn't happen. At least, that's what I say when I'm explaining to Kyle why he's posing for his 20th time. You agree? And you already know I'm a picture junkie so that's what you expect to see when you come to my blog? (wink) Well okay, here's one more for the road:

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

2011-12-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

I'm still reeling with the magic of Disneyland. Can you believe I hadn't been back to the happiest place on earth since I was 10-years-old? My return was past due. And the best part? Everyone in my immediate family was able to make it.

2 parents + 4 siblings + 3 mates + 3 kiddos + Mickey Mouse = one rad way to celebrate Christmas.

We booked a hotel for a week and went loco with our park hopper passes.

And I may have gone a little nutso with las picturas.

If you actually look at every one you are either A) my mother B) my mother-in-law C) a truly loyal blog reader.

So without further adieu...these are for you select few ;)

Classic family shot

Lydie Bug's first ride

Toy Story

Fantasmic Lake

Jungle Cruise

Love Birds

Haunted Mansion

Soaked from head to toe after Splash Mountain. Look at Zacharoo's face :)
They definitely forgot that the heaviest person on your ride should not be in the front.

Grandpa and his Snoogie.
These pics melt me.

I cannot even begin to describe how awesome the Christmas decorations were.
Disney knows how to do it.

I have cute parents.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle during the day.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle at night.
I had to get up on Kyle's shoulders for this one.

Getting amped up for the Christmas Parade!

We staked our claim at the very end of the parade in front of It's a Small World

So dang good!

All 3 kiddos were enthralled. Well, Lydie played with a wrapper most of the time, but at least she sat still :)

Uncle Steve and "his girl."

Sweet Baby.
Lydie was a champ on this trip.
How did we do it you might ask?

Snacks...lots and lots of snacks.

"You best be backin' away from my mum mum, foo."

Winnie the Pooh

Unfortunately, we had more on our agenda than kiddie rides.

Behold: Tower of Terror.

Yeah...I wasn't that scared. Not.

I was so mad at my mom for making me believe it wasn't that bad. I believe my eyes tell the real story here.

Real men carry stuffed animals.

Shopping
I needed 3 things: a postcard (for my personal collection), a Christmas ornament (for our family's collection), and something for Lydie pie. We decided on the cutest princess jammies EVER. And it was soooo hard for me not to throw in a princess castle complete with 15 Disney characters and an Alice in Wonderland tea set. Yes, I do plan on reliving my childhood through my daughter.

"I can't quite figure her out."

Ferris Wheel with my honey

Night time shot

Waiting for the World of Color show.

Date night.
All of the babyless adults were so awesome about watching Lydie and letting Kyle and I go off by ourselves. On the last day, we stayed until midnight and got to watch Fantasmic just the 2 of us. Topped with peppermint hot chocolate, we couldn't have asked for a better time.
It's enough to make you forget you're a grown up.
As we were leaving the park one of the workers called out, "Good night, youngsters!"
K: "I have a beard."
S: "I have a baby."
Our own personal claims to adulthood.

Hotel time
AKA Lydia's exploring time

Such a modest lass.

Sweetie Pie

I LOVE this picture of my mom and Lincoln. She's such a fun Grandma.

We celebrated Zachy's 4th birthday!

He's my buddy.

This shot is precious.

We had a little party with cinnamon rolls and presents before hitting another full day at the parks.

A few days later we also got to celebrate Mandy's 30th birthday!

The last day was dedicated to family pictures.

Nailed the Santa pic. She's such a poser.

Cuuuuute

Happy Grandparents

Adorable Cousins

The whole fam

It sure was a blast! Whose ever idea this was... (Jerry?) well done!

Dear Lydie Girl,

2011-12-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Happy 7 month birthday, pretty!

You are a scooting champ! I realized a few days ago that you need to have pants on at all times, because you get rug burns on your little knees. You absolutely see the benefits in being mobile.

But sitting up? Not so much.

Perhaps I shouldn't practice with you on the bed anymore. You think falling over is hilarious, and I'm pretty sure you're propelling yourself backwards on purpose.

To describe you in a word: personality.

You have been overflowing with quirky enthusiasm since day one and I love you to pieces for it.

You giggle, you grunt, you flirt, you SQUEAL.

A blob, you are not. A space cadet? Forget about it. You are fully in the moment AT. ALL. TIMES.

Daddy and I get told frequently that we're in for it.

You love to be independent.

It takes you forever to finish a bottle, because you don't want any help. I've learned to live with the fact that you will drop it 10,000 times and get milk/water everywhere. On the plus side, if I hand you half a rice cake you will feed yourself for as long as I replenish them :). Daddy and I are going to buy you mum mums today...rice crackers that are full of fiber. I'm sure you'll love them. You love everything.

You devour bananas. You always want water after a meal.

Even though all of the baby websites say you should only have milk, I give it to you anyway.

Because, psshh, it's water!...it's not like I'm putting coke in your bottle.

And believe me, people do this.

You know what I'm talkin' bout, Lyd. You and I walk to the ghetto Target a lot together.

You're obsessed with people. Nothing brings you greater joy than when someone smiles at you. Especially daddy. Boy, is he your buddy. You're going to be a tough little chick with the way he wrestles with you.

You would play all day without sleeping if we let you.

You're my girly girl. You love your stuffed animals and your dolly. You love to pet the dresses I put you in and chew on the tutus. But, let's be honest, you'd prefer it if I chillaxed on the headbands.

It's no secret that I dreamed of having a little girl for my first child.

Thanks for being my sweetie pie.

Next to daddy, you're my favorite.

Christmas is in full swing, and we can't wait to share it with you!

We made chocolate covered holiday pretzels with Tawny, Rylee, and Landon.

I should be a food model.

I made this ornament at a relief society party.

And this gift tag at a scrap book party.

And you were a mighty big fan of the mashed potatoes and corn at the ward Christmas party.

I'm sure you're wondering why a giant, glowing orb has replaced the kitchen table, but someday you'll understand why such things take precedence.

Maybe, if you saw a lot of lights all together you'd grasp the concept of Christmas a little better.

In fact, we're boarding a plane for your 5th time this afternoon to behold such a magical place.

Need a hint?

It's in Anaheim. And mommy may be a tad more excited about it than you are!

Man Eater

2011-12-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Landon, you better step it up. Some other local boys are trying to steal yo' woman.

Cuz every man knows, when you mess with your girl's Christmas pictures, she might kick you to the curb.

It started out all well and good...

But Landon started to lose interest pretty quick.

Lydie was patient at first...

But, a girl can only take so much, you know?

He tried to make it up to her in the end, but she was pretty put out by the whole experience.

So it made her start to wonder...

Was she better off as a single gal?

Before doing anything drastic, however, she decided to register herself on one of those LDS dating sites.

"Hi, I'm Lydia! I'm almost 7-months-old, but I measure up pretty evenly with most 4-month-olds. You know what they say, good things come in small packages! I'm a sassy girl who enjoys long walks around the neighborhood, non-bubble baths, and evenings spent playing peek-a-boo and looking at my cardboard picture books. I'm looking for a spunky boy who isn't afraid to throw caution to the wind and go on "save the stuffed animal" expeditions around my family room."

Naturally, she got a few hits right away.

Quinton said he had to get a peek at this cute girl in person.

Hank was impressed with her sense of humor.

And that sly Maximus Beck skipped introductions and went straight to second base!

Smooth moves by all, but Landon had the last laugh. With the help of his mama, he made Lydia a bracelet to remember him by while she goes out of town for the Holidays.
And as my Grandma Taylor once advised my 10-year-old self:
"A lady should never accept jewelry from a gentleman she doesn't plan to marry."
Looks like those multi-colored beads sealed the deal.

I am Thankful

2011-11-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

For God overhead

A comfy bed

My family, in all its forms

And help in weathering life's storms

For a world to roam

A cozy home

My dear friends

And adventures around the bend

For holiday fun

A body to run

My experiences in youth

And knowledge of the truth

For books to read

A moral creed

My supportive hubs

And Lydie chubs

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving this year!

Kyle had a half day at school on Wednesday, so he decided it would be fun to take Lydie along with him. He didn't have to ask me twice...a morning to myself? Yeeeah buddy.

Nothing hotter than a guy in a leather jacket sporting a flowered diaper bag.
Am I right, or am I right?

I packed that baggy full of blueberries for Lydia's lunch...

But, as any true girl on her first day of school, she was more concerned about her shoes.

I got to meet up with them for the school's Thanksgiving lunch at noon. Lydia was quite the happy camper. Among the highlights of her day were the rides the librarians gave her on the book cart.

After her much needed afternoon nap, we drove up to my parent's house in Sacramento.

Come to think of it...was that nap the last time she slept that week?

Stiiiiinker.

Thanksgiving began as it always should: with me and the boys driving around town trying to get in on a Turkey Bowl.

We settled for frisbee and basketball.

Baby's First Thanksgiving!

My mom and Julia planned a fabulous dinner, and we all pitched in to help.

Although, at one point, it was the 3 girls in the kitchen and the 3 guys parked in front of a football game. Kyle let it slip later on that my dad had whispered, "This is how it should be!"

He got a talkin' to. And Kyle's in the dog house for breaking man code.

You boys better watch it.

Mmmmmm.

Sparkling cider, turkey, cranberry sauce, 2 kinds of mashed potatoes, gravy, bell pepper salad, homemade ranch, rolls, candied yams, sweet potatoes, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, stuffing, homemade cheesecakes, pumpkin pie, and berry pie.

You better believe I was outside trying to run those calories off.

We stayed through til Sunday and had a great time planning sports outings, walks around the neighborhood, and game nights.

The Happy Farmer

Last year, this tree held 30 normal sized oranges.

This year, it holds just 4 grotesquely large pieces of fruit. My dad doesn't know what happened.

An airplane flew by with radioactive isotopes?

Lydie making herself at home in Grandma's tub.

It was a fun time. Now if only we could teach Lydia how to sleep somewhere else besides her own bedroom...

You are getting verrrry sleepy. Verrrrrrrry sleepy!

Naughty or Nice?

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm going to let you in on a lil' secret about Lyd.

She has got some atti-TUDE. With a capital tude, y'all.

But Sarah, you say, that can't be true. She is always so jolly and smiley.

Oh sure, she can be charming...

And oh so sweet.

But, as Kyle and I often say, "She wants what she wants when she wants it."
And one thing this chick does not want is naps.
How does such a little thing go non stop from 5 AM til bedtime?
This habit had to be stopped. So for the last week, we've been letting her cry it out.
The first 2 days, I also cried.
Ripped my heart out.

But, I've been trying to stick to this approximate schedule:
Morning Nap: 8:30-9:30 AM
Afternoon Nap: 1:30-3:30 PM
Bedtime Time: Anywhere from 6 PM to 7 PM

But, don't let this minuscule assertion of my power fool you. Lydie still believes that she runs the house.
As a general rule of thumb, I don't let her watch TV. I'm not a total stickler on this, but the box of mindless entertainment typically doesn't come on until Kyle decides to watch it. Of course, I encourage him to set Lydia up with toys/books. But sometimes I catch them doing this behind my back:

Just look at those two.

Snacking on my rice cakes and watching football.

Not even aware I was taking this picture.

Definitely naughty.

What? Lydie eats rice cakes too? Yeah, so we basically just give her whatever we're eating.
Without mashing it up...
Gasp! Don't tell the doctor.

She has about 4-5 oz of milk every 3ish hours and then we let her have what we're eating for dinner. She doesn't like baby food, but she's a mighty big fan of big girl food.
Within the last 2 weeks she's had baby sized pieces of:
peas, green beans, baked asparagus, rice cakes, Thai noodles, blueberry smoothie, apples, bananas, whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce, zucchini, carrots, & steamed tomatoes.

Her favorites by far are the green vegetables.
She'll gum 'em to death.

But apparently raw tomatoes are repulsive.

If I want to eat in peace without little hands grappling at my mouth, I have to immobilize her on the other side of the room.

Naughty Food Snatcher

She wanted a piece of this action:

Chunky Pecan Bars Tawny and I made.

But to Lyd's dismay, I whisked them away to chick flick night.

The 4 of us neighborhood pals stayed up til midnight watching "A Walk to Remember" and giggling like school girls. Future sleepover plans may be surfacing. We'll see if the husbands can handle it.

But, we're not the only ones who like to get together. Baby Landon personally came over to ask Lydia on a date to the drive in. Of course, the rest of us had to come along to chaperone.
And it's a good thing we did too!

Lydia Gwenevere! What are you doing in the back seat alone with Landon?!

Just look at the shock on her face.

And the remorse on his.

You've got to keep a close eye on these 2 rascals.

That's the only boy you should be in the back seat with!

We had a fun time watching the new Twilight movie.

BBQing the hot dogs

Miss Model

Friends

After getting caught, Lydie spent most of the movie sleeping on the floor of the front seat while Kyle and I cuddled on the mattress he set up in the back.

That little missy better watch it.

Or she might end up on the naughty list this Christmas.

Eh, who am I kidding?
Santa would have to be a cold hearted fellow to put coal in this cutie's stocking.

Baby Steps

2011-11-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

We spend our Friday nights a little differently these days.

Okay Lydia, are you ready? You're going to learn to crawl today.

That makes me a little nervous daddy, I'm only 6 months old.

Keep your eye on the prize, Lyd.

I've set up some of your favorite things and all you have to do is scoot toward them, like so.

Okay, but that's really a lot of pressure, you know?

Lyd, you're not focusing. Forearms out, bum in the air, now scoot!

Like this?

Did ya see me, Dad? Did ya see me?

Lydie, you did such a good job!

Yeah, daddy, I really did!

Twenty Something Non-Single White Female

2011-11-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

I woke up Wednesday morning to the following voicemail:

"Holy crap, I almost forgot to say happy birthday, ha ha ha!

Uh, I believe you are 24...right? Yeah 24.

Cause I'm 5 1/2 years older, not 6 1/2 years older...right?

Well, I hope I'm right, because if not I'd be a horrible brother.

Anyway, I love you.

I'm just gonna bring your birthday gift this Saturday, if that's all right with you...well of course it is because you don't have any choice, ha ha ha.

Anyway, I love you. Bye!"

I see how it is.

For the record "horrible brother", you are 6 1/2 years older...and I am the ripe old age of 23.

But after I turned twenty, I stopped counting too.

Good thing I've got sweeties in my life to make even a forgettable age feel special.

My mom drove in Tuesday night, and the three of us stayed up late playing games and talking, as we are prone to do.

As all truly excellent days do, my birthday began with a foot massage.

After I fed Lydie, I came downstairs to find my mom and Kyle in the kitchen making me breakfast.

Lydia really appreciated it.
My mom discovered that the goofy girl likes OJ.

Look at that concentration...just you try prying that cup out of her hands.

And yeah...I sleep in cute clothes. Pretty sure that's my brother-in-law Cory's mission shirt.

Next on the agenda was mani/pedis with my mom.

But I took my sweet time working out, showering, and opening gifts. So spa day has been postponed to Thanksgiving. I think I speak for all mothers when I say that getting to take a long, hot shower and apply makeup without having to pick up your kid after every 3 mascara strokes IS a spa day.

*By the way, one of those bags held my camera and another held a bouncy ball. Ha ha. (uh...thanks, honey?)

So I didn't get quite as many presents as this picture would make it seem.

Tawny popped by with a sweet gift and this super yummy cookie.

I know it's normal chocolate chip, but there is something to be said for a cake-sized cookie.

None of us could keep our hands off of it.

I felt it was sweet of Lydia to wear her cupcake onesie in honor of my birthday.

She's a thoughtful lass.

Generation Picture

Lydia was the only one aware that this shot was being taken. I think it's a keeper.

Kyle took the day off of school and we left for an early dinner at Paradiso, a beyond AMAZING Mediterranean restaurant. I'm going to go out on a limb for now, and say it may be my new favorite place to eat.

Then it was on to our surprise destination...
A pottery making class! Kyle had scheduled a 3 hour session of clay sculpting goodness.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was how fond of pottery this boy turned out to be.

I've always known that Kyle likes trying new things, but I had no idea he was so into his artistic side.

He's already talking about going back. Cutie.

It was seriously SO much fun having this time away alone together.

Our instructor said we acted like newlyweds.

That's what happens when you get to leave your squeak behind for 4 hours.

I told Kyle not to buy me flowers this year.

But, he always does.

Rick & Rhonda, you raised him right.

My brother and sister drove down on Saturday to ~~celebrate my birthday~~ watch BYU football.

And, of course, to spend time with their favorite niece.

They made it just in time for our ward luncheon.

We spent the rest of the day outside going on walks, playing frisbee, and throwing around the football.

Ohhhh yes.

2 of my very favorite girls, right here.

Lyd got to rock out in her new toy (thank you freecycle) while Steve treated us to Thai food before the big game. And this just in...Lydia LOVES Thai noodles. Probably shouldn't be feeding her that...oh well.

It was a fabulous birthday week. Thank you to all who made it so special!

Things I've Recently Discovered

2011-11-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Greek Yogurt

Amazing, no? It has the same look and consistency of sour cream, but has no fat and is good for you. I've been using it with fajitas, quesadillas, smoothies, and this new bad boy recipe my mom snagged from my aunt:

Creole
Spinach
Eggs
Greek yogurt

*Scramble 'em up and enjoy!

1 Year Old Birthday Parties Are in

This I was not aware of until moving to the Bay Area. Yet, Kyle and I keep being invited to them. And we keep going to them. Conclusion: I'm throwing a birthday party for Lydie in May. And y'all better be there!

Happy 1st birthday Hank-o!

Lydia's Not a Baby Anymore

Didn't you know? Yep. No naps for this big girl. She REFUSES. She will scream her tiny little head off in anger until she hears me coming into her room and then she'll start to move back and forth, squeal in delight, and of course, GRIN.

How do you say no to that?

I am weak, my friends.

But, I do have to take some credit for this psychotic behavior. At church last Sunday, someone commented on the fact that Lydia appears to always be incredibly happy. I thanked him and agreed that she is "very full of life." To which he replied that when you cross Kyle and I, "full of life" is what you get. Lovely compliment to be sure. But, sometimes I think maybe we shouldn't be all:

"Good morning Lydie Pie! good to see you, let's have a tickle fight, let's wrestle, let's roll around on the ground and throw your toys, let's go on a walk and talk to all of the neighbors, let's play super baby and fly around the house, let's skip your morning nap and go hang out with so and so, let's skip your afternoon nap and go to a party, let's skip both your naps and go to a festival, rawwwr!"

*Time to slow it down Osbornes*

Quinoa

*Pronounced Keen-wa.
But, perhaps you already knew that and I'm just slow to jump on the health food band wagon. Want to hear a funny story about Quinoa? I found a recipe I wanted to make that included this grain. Being ignorant of such a substance, I Googled it. And then inquired of my friend while out on one of our play dates as to what aisle one might find such an ingredient. 2 days later, my mom came to town and asked me if I'd ever heard of Quinoa. "Oh, but I have!" She told me about a recipe of steel cut oats and blueberries. So, off to Costco we went to buy a bag. 2 days later, my best friend texted me about a yummy "girl lunch" she just made and how she wished I was there to eat it with her. And yep, you guessed it, she used quinoa and asked if I had ever heard of it! Okayyyy, maybe that wasn't such a funny story. But, you have to admit it was highly coincidental.

We Can Lose at Cranium

I had high hopes that this day would never come. But, when Kyle suggested we go girls against guys because the Osbornes can't be beat at Cranium, the Alexanders took it as a personal affront to their game playing abilities. And then they won.

We're now 1 for 3 on the game board tally with these peeps.
We gots to step this up.

Tracy Anderson
Celebrity workout trainer/extraordinaire.

She created a DVD designed specifically for women. I've recently given up p90x in lieu of it's arm bulking reputation.
And I've replaced it with this beaut:

Kicks my trash

I Can Make a Cute Cupcake
On the condition that someone loads up the frosting for me, teaches me how to swirl it, lays out all of the sprinkles in front of me, and holds my hand every step of the way.

But technically, I still made it :)
This week at MOPS we got to choose 3 workshops to attend.
You know Tawny and I were all over the cupcake decorating one.
She was done with hers before I had even picked up my frosting bag, but whatevs.

Words/Phrases that Seemingly Begin with "Lyd"

Twinkle Twinkle "Lydie" Star
(someday we'll have to break it to the squeak that this song isn't actually about her)

Mary had a "Lyd-le" lamb

And most recently, the tupperware commercial that talks about having the right "lid."

To which Kyle and I will always respond, "We already have the right Lyd."

Cheeeeese fest.

I'm in Love With a Wall. Are You?

2011-11-05T20:05:00.001-06:00

I think my husband is a fairly sensitive male, considering.

He texts me to tell me I'm beautiful at the exact moment I'm covered in baby vomit.
He comments on the pleasurable scent of the candle I have burning.
He helped develop a unique form of baby talk that we use only when no one else is around. (Or should only use when no one else is around).
He notices if I do something new with my hair.
He talks to me for hours on the phone when I go out of town.
He doesn't question my sanity when I scream from the next room that he needs to come save me from a bug.
He has surprises down to an art form.
He understands the importance of buying me chocolate milk when it's been a rough day.
He's up to date on women's fashion and (most of the time) will have an opinion when we're out shopping.
He doesn't have an opinion on my clothes unless I ask him. (I'm tellin' ya...he wasn't born yesterday).

But, at the end of the day, he can't escape one thing: he's still a man.

S: When you get home today we should go to the store. We need toilet paper and some shish kabob fixings.
K: Oh, and don't forget we need toilet paper.
S: Kyle, really?
K: Oh, did you just say that or something?

S: Ha ha ha, this is a good movie.
2 minutes later
K: Ha ha ha, I love this movie.
S: Wow, he's buff.
2 minutes later
K: Holy, he's huge.
S: I bet they're going to make a lot of money off of this.
2 minutes later
K: This movie is going to make bank.
S: It's so great that they kept the movie clean.
2 minutes later
K: Hey, it's cool there wasn't any bad stuff, huh?
S: Um, have you been repeating everything I say 2 minutes after I say it on purpose?
K: What? No....

Sometimes it's like I haven't said anything at all.

Don't even get me started on when he's watching football.

While looking at family pictures.
K: Whoa! I forgot you...you...
S: I what?
K: Looked that way.
S: You forgot I was huge?
K: No not huge! Just...wow, you know?
S: Kyle, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant in that picture.
K: And you were beautiful! But wow...ha ha.

....? oh mah goodness.

K: What do you want from the store?
S: I want raisin nut bran, bananas, orange juice, string cheese, and ice. Don't forget the ice. Do you want me to make you a list? You always forget the ice.
K: Please woman. I got this.
S: Okay...but just remember: I asked for 5 things. If you only come back with 4, you know you forgot something.
An hour later
K: Crap, I forgot the ice.

For Reals?

I often say to Kyle, "It's like I'm talking to the wall!"

To which he will always respond, "But you love me."

It's true. I do. And it's a good thing too.

Hot Dogs Cannot Live by Mustard Alone

2011-11-01T20:03:00.000-06:00

The Halloween festivities began on Friday.

Tawny and I got together to decorate these:

Vampires, Mummies, & Pumpkins

And wound up taking these:

Lydia and her boyfriend Landon

(She's into younger men)

Can you believe these 2?

We didn't even pose them like that!

Okay, I lied. Of course, we did.

But we didn't tell them to be this stinkin' cute.

We had a Halloween birthday party to go to later that night. But Lyd was so hyped up on puppy love, that she didn't take her afternoon nap and ended up passing out at 6 PM.

So come Saturday afternoon, we explained to the little squish that second naps are important.

Why?

Because, hot dogs cannot live by mustard alone.

They need their ketchup too.

That's better.

We snagged these beauties with the $80 I won to an online Halloween store.

We had a great time at the Alexander's neighborhood par-tay.

Daddy Dog

(He's a cannibal)

Mama Mustard

After a little pumpkin bowling, it was off to the ward trunk or treat.

We had fun watching all of the little kids smile at us and gettin' jiggy on the dance floor.

Lydia was mesmerized by all of the costumes.

We were excited to have my mom come into town Sunday night.

She said she couldn't miss Lydia's first Halloween.

And how can you blame her? Not every kid gets to be a condiment.

On Monday, my mom took Lydia and I to meet Kyle at his school. I was roped into signing up for the Halloween skits last week. My role was to purchase a hot dog from a meat vendor.

I was forced to say lines such as "nice buns" and "I'll have this hot dog to go."

The things I do for my husband...

Ky, you better recognize.

Of course, the crowd pleaser was when I licked Kyle's cheek after the mustard was applied and said, "It's better. But it's still missing something. Do you have a 'little ketchup?'"

Little Ketchup

Lydie really loved the bag she got for participating.

Kyle and his buddy Taylor after our skit.

On Halloween night, Kyle, my mom, and I played a board game as the flocks of trick or treaters came to our door. Kyle got lots of giggles, a request to be eaten, and one picture inquiry for opening up the door dressed in his hot dog costume. We ended the evening by watching a documentary.

Hmmmm. We are PARTY. ANIMALS.

And as all hardcore party weekends do, this one ended with lots of vomiting.

I'm talkin' 3 A.M, mom holding my hair back, husband grabbing me meds, sick to my stomach all night long, vomiting.

Perhaps it was the documentary that really took me over the edge.

Just Call Me Martha

2011-10-26T22:57:00.000-06:00

Stewart, that is. I've taken up crafting.

Stop laughing.

No really, stop it.

This is not a joke. If you were to tell me 5 years ago thatin the fall of 2011 I’d have been married 3 years, have a beautiful 5-month-oldbaby girl, cook, AND craft, I’d have laughed in your face. Let's face it, I didn’t come intothis world a domestic. But something I’ve discovered since becoming a stay athome mom: creative outlets are important.

And it’s the perfect time to dabble. Now that we’ve graduated from the black holeknown as “the newborn stage,” we actually have time to have some fun. I take Lydia places almost everyday. She stays happy for hours at a time.

Shesleeps. She GRINS. Can we freeze this age? I’m a big fan.

A month or so ago, a friend of my mother’s said to her,“Sarah is so talented! Does she find it oppressive staying at home with Lydia?”

Me: “What does she think I’m talented at?”

Mom: “She didn't elaborate.”

Well crap. I'm talented...right?

I’m going to write a book! Okay...so it hasn't happened yet.

I always got goodgrades. Annnd, I'm not in school anymore.

I can make it throughan entire p90x DVD. And when I can stopdoing girl push ups, I’ll count that.

Hmmm, I can make Lydie smile at the drop of a hat! So can the wall, you say? Okay...
Oooh, I can play “Hymns Made Easy” on the piano. Most of them anyway.

I make a mean crock pot chicken. Noreally, I do.

Challenge me to a game of HORSE! Anybody?

I…I… wash. Dishes. Reeeeally. Well. Sigh.

Something had to be done. My self esteem was going wah wah waaaaah.

So when my neighbor Karina invited me to a city group meeting called MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers), I caved.

Theybrunch. They discuss. They mingle. They craft.

And they taught me how to make this:

A fall banner!

You should have seen the look of surprise on Kyle's face when he came home to find a craft hanging on our window.

Yeah, that's right...your wife crafts. What whaaaat.

My friend Tawny and I went back yesterday and joined. Like actually paid a fee.

I am now a MOP.

A few days later, I heard rumor of a Relief Society activity in which women were making turkey wall hangings.

Don't mind if I do.

I still need to buy a frame for Walter, but he is patiently awaiting the month of November for Thanksgiving decorations to be showcased.

In the meantime, I've gone a little nutty over Halloween. I'm such a holiday lover. And all the wreaths I wanted to buy were $50 or more. But because the new (and now talented) Sarah makes stuff, I decided to create my own through a tutorial I found on Pinterest.

A four ring base, 3 wooden letters, 2 coats of pumpkin paint, 1 coat of glitter, some ribbon, and a yard of black burlap later, and I had myself a Boo wreath!

But if you thought that stuff was neat, wait until you see my best creation of them all...

In order to create one of these (and who wouldn't?), you will need 4 equal parts.

1 part squish

1 part girly

1 part silly

And 1 part eyes

Upon completion, you will have 14.7 pounds and 23 3/4 inches of smiley squeak. This yields a model in the 31st and 6th percentiles for weight and height.

Though it may be pint sized...

It can fly.

Oh Wow, I'm THAT Mom

2011-10-19T21:22:00.002-06:00

I've done a lot of babysitting in my day. I was always the sweet kid on the block, the mature girl at school, the responsible teenager at church. I worked at a daycare when I was 16 and as a nanny when I was 21. I was the primary 2nd counselor in my last ward and I was just called to be the primary secretary in my current ward.

No surprise there.

I've basically had the word "babysitter" plastered on my forehead since I was 11-years-old.

And I always found it a bit funny when I was given extremely specific instructions from the mothers on how to care for their young children.

So let me get this straight: You want me to give your child a pacifier if he cries, bounce him if he's fussy, pop in "Baby Einstein" if he's unhappy, and put him to bed when he rubs his eyes?

Why didn't I think of that?

Well look who's the crazy mama now!

Kyle's been trying to get me to leave Lydia with a neighbor so we can go on a date for a while now.

My excuse: I've never left her with anyone except family members.

And really, the list of verbal instructions I irrationally feel compelled to leave are so exhausting for all involved.

I'm all like:

Lydie really likes toys so if you switch it up she'll stay happy for a while, but the pink elephant is her favorite so if you give her that you can basically do whatever you want for 20 minutes breath if you don't take her outside she might get a little unhappy, because she's used to going outside multiple times a day, but if it's cold be sure to give her a blanket, and if it gets hot while you're out you can take off her pants breath she eats approximately every 2-3 hours, but if she wants to eat before that she can; I started giving her baby food last week, but she gets too messy with that so just put really hot water in a cup and put her bottle in that for 3ish minutes to warm it up...don't use the microwave because that's bad breath change her diaper whenever it feels kind of soggy or whenever she goes #2, but be sure to wipe down as opposed to up or else the doctor says she'll get an infection breath she takes a 2 hour morning nap, a 2 hour afternoon nap, and goes to bed around 7; she likes to be rocked to sleep while she drinks her bottle, so be sure to turn her sideways and into your arm so she knows it's bedtime breath if she falls asleep in your arms don't burp her because that will wake her up, but you know, if she's acting like she wants to be burped then go ahead breath lay her down on her stomach in her crib because she won't go to sleep on her back or without her binky, but she pulls the binky out of her mouth so you kind of have to wrap her hand with the blanket so she knows not to pull it out breath she'll usually spit the binky out though, so if she does that just walk away and let her cry for 2 minutes before trying to give it to her again; you can repeat this 3-5 times before giving up and rocking her to sleep, but if she wakes up after she's already fallen asleep she should take the binky the first time.

Aren't you tired? I freakin' am.

What I just said in a nutshell: Lydia likes toys, going on walks, not being cold, eating, napping, binkies, and sleeping on her stomach.

Wowza.

Unique right?

Is this assumption that I'm the only one who knows how to take care of my child a normal occurrence in new mothers, or am I just psycho?

Either way, Kyle convinced me to let our neighbor Eric come over a few weeks ago to watch Lydie so we could go on a date.

He was the first non-family member to do so.

Don't you feel special, Eric?

We ate at Chilis and saw the movie "Moneyball."

As for the movie? Meh.

3 hours of flirting and holding hands with the hubs? Yes, please.

Learning how to not freak out when I leave my child? Work. In. Progress.

Pumpkins Are Our Friends

2011-10-15T22:30:00.001-06:00

Meet Spike

Spike has been my Halloween pumpkin since childhood. I took him EVERYWHERE with me throughout the month of October. He was my dentist buddy, my snuggle partner, my backpack stowaway.

And because I'm a nice mama, I decided to let Lydie have him.

Perhaps she wasn't quite ready for such an honor...

"Lydia stop! Do not eat Spike."

"Why mom?"

"Because pumpkins are our friends, Lyd."

I had to show Lydia first hand. So off to the pumpkin patch we went.

"See, Lydie?"

"Ohhhhh, I think I get it, Mom."

Our fun group

Daddy Love

Family Shots

This pumpkin patch was incredible. They had hay rides, farm animals, panning for gems, face painting, and our fave, a corn maze.

We got lost...

Lydia got a lot of attention, what with dressing like a pumpkin and all. But we feel this goat was her greatest admirer:

By the end of it all, I do believe Lydie learned to respect the life of a pumpkin and form a kinship with her fellow gourds.

Don't ever say the Osbornes don't teach their kid the important stuff.

G.C. Weekend

2011-10-07T23:15:00.000-06:00

Isn't it funny how much our perspective changes as we grow?

When I was a child, General Conference made me want to self implode.

I stared at the speakers until my eyes glazed over, fruitlessly attempting to grasp these adult concepts.

I had no idea what they were talking about.

I would sneak into the next room to play with my stuffed animals until I was summoned back to my chair.

I. could. not. stop. squirming.

Fast forward to adulthood and I actually get butterflies when this biannual event approaches.

Listening to the fresh, inspired topics presented by leaders of God's church gives me a renewed perspective of what is truly important in this life.

Family, Charity, Love, Kindness, Faith, Work

Each year, we are encouraged to come to conference with a spiritual question.

Often, I pray to know my question. Other times, I pray that my already formed question will be answered.

When I take the time to do this, I am never disappointed. And this year was no exception.

I prayed for Lydia.

I asked Heavenly Father what I can do to raise a righteous, confident, happy daughter.

Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women General President, was the mouthpiece through which my heartfelt inquiry was answered. She began her topic by posing the following question:

How can a father raise a happy, well-adjusted daughter in today’s increasingly toxic world?

Though it was not directed towards mothers, it still made me smile when I heard the direction of her talk.
Specifically for daughters, no less. My daughter.

The nutshell answer:

How Beautiful. And so true. A daughter will learn about the love, respect, and support that she deserves from her future husband by the example her own daddy sets.

And this little girl LOVES her daddy.

(This may be my favorite picture of all time.)

The full talk can be read here:

http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/love-her-mother?lang=eng

After conference, we had the missionaries and our neighbor James over for dinner. Our gas still hadn't been turned on (because of the whole SWAT team fiasco), so Kyle volunteered to make his yummy crock pot fetticini alfredo.

Sister Osborne, why are you taking a picture of us?
Because I can, Elders.

We plopped Lyd in front of the eaters (her favorite place to be) and gave her a carrot so she could participate in dinner.

Lydie is such a happy clam.

I can't get enough of her precious smiles. It will forever be my prayer to keep those smiles coming throughout her life.

We're Back!

2011-10-03T19:21:00.000-06:00

What a whirlwind! Getting the house as thoroughly clean as we wanted it after the tear gas incident was no picnic. While the 3 of us were hiding out in Sacramento, our house was sealed and giant red vents were positioned to suck out all of the toxic air.

Why these are still in my house, I do not know.

I'm thinking of placing picture frames on them and just goin' with it.

We had our carpets shampooed, couches scrubbed, drapes vacuumed, windows washed, stove sanitized, tub scoured, and floors mopped. Phew! Not easy with a baby's nap and feeding schedule, but we survived. And yes, the county is reimbursing us for all of this.

The only remaining interference is PG&E's inability to turn our gas back on. We have called so. many. times. But, in the mean time, I'm rockin' my messy bun, sweat pants, and bag full of shower items as I traipse across the street to shower and give Lydia baths at James's house.

Why did we get stuck sharing a wall with such crazies when there are soooo many other awesome people on our street? After all of this police nonsense, we are STILL having music wars with them. They like to make the floors shake by blasting gosh awful rap on Sundays. But, two can play at that game. It helps that we recently got a new sound system. Combined result: “In Humility, our Savior” with a sick back beat. Lydia is going to be so confused. But really, if I wanted my 5-month-old to learn about skinny b’s, fat b’s, old b’s, young b’s, I’d drop her off at Snoop Dog's house. When did "b" become a synonym for "woman" anyway? I do not approve...

Thankfully, Kyle was on school break when the SWAT madness started. But before we had to flee to my parent's house, we had a few days of fun.

I nabbed us some free tickets on freecycle to the Valley Blues Festival. I thought it was positively charming: a small town, fund raising gathering out in the middle of nowhere with giant trees, dirt trails, food stands, vendor huts, and 3 blues bands. A lot of people showed up with kids and beach chairs in tow.

Everyone was incredibly friendly. So many ladies came over to admire Lydia. There was even a woman who TOLD me to take a picture of Lydie. That's like telling Obama to screw up our health care system. It's just what we do...

One man gave me a ticket he had purchased for a hot dog. Another guy offered to buy me a drink. I would have said yes, but I didn't think he meant a soda. I've learned a thing or two since leaving BYU. Drink does not = soda ;)

We sat at a picnic table with another couple of guys. They were so enamored with Lydia. They spent the whole afternoon talking about her dress, her bow, her smile, her eyes, how much of a "Gerber baby" she is. They continually watched her, made her smile, laughed at her antics.
Think I liked them?
Anyone that obsessed with my child is okay by me. Lydia ATE IT UP. Sun, music, and people watching just do it for her. She is so my child.

We had a game night at Slavik & Karina's house.

We barely beat a couple of Russians at a game involving English spelling, English music, and famous Americans. But we still bragged about it.

Lydie & I loved having Kyle to play with everyday. Lyd is always vying for attention, continually talking/squeaking until you look at her and smile.

"Mama, tell Daddy to look at me."

Lydie may have been a better sport than her Dad when I made them come outside to watch the sunrise with me...

We took tons of family walks & Lydia became a tummy time master:

As evidenced by this picture, our originally chocolate haired gal is becoming more and more blonde every week.

Because Kyle didn't have any homework, we had a movie night every day after Lydie went to bed.

"The Blind Side." "Blades of Glory." "Runaway Bride."

Eric, Kelly, and Quinton came over to watch the BYU vs Utah game.

They brought refreshments.

Which turned out to be the only redeemable part of the evening.

There was much yelling...

In preparation for a BYU golf tournament he was entering with my Dad and brother, Kyle went to the driving range 4 times: Once with David, Once by himself, & Twice with me.

Every year, my Dad comes in last place. The punishment: his team has to wear Utah hats while everyone watches a game together. He let Kyle know in no uncertain terms that he did not want to come in last place this year, despite his and Steve's lack of experience. With Kyle's help, they came in 4th to last :)

My mom made blackberry pie & homemade tortellini soup for everyone to celebrate.

While in Sacramento, we had one more trip to the driving range & another game of ultimate frisbee with Steve's ward. Lydie was uber spoiled by Grandma Val & Auntie.

But she is very happy to be home in her own bed. As am I :)

Anybody Got an Extra Toothbrush?

2011-09-23T19:23:00.002-06:00

It was a normal day in our little neck of the woods. Birds were chirping, sun was shining. I certainly didn't expect any kind of danger when I walked out my door at 10 A.M the other morning to go visiting teaching. Kyle is on a break from school this week so I was happy to leave a napping Lydie under his care as I meandered down the block.

The lesson was on strengthening spirituality in our homes. Not exactly an appropriate precursor for what was about to happen. Molly and I left Tawny's house at around 11. That's when we noticed 4 police cars on her street.

I said goodbye and continued on towards the threatening scene. I had to pass them in order to get home. I found it odd when my landlord came striding toward me profusely apologizing. He assured me that things like this only happen once every 20 years here.

"It's okay Damien. It's not like it's your fault that there are police cars in the neighborhood."

Little Silly.

But I did take exception to the policeman blocking off my street. He approached me with arms folded and a serious look in his eye.

PM: Excuse me ma'am, this street is closed.

Me: Oh, but I live here. Can I just go straight into my house?

PM: You can if your house is past Violet Street.

Me: But my house isn't past Violet Street.

PM: I'm very sorry ma'am.

Me: Oh, okay.

I turned around to leave. Wait a second! What am I supposed to do?

Me: Um, how long is this going to take?

PM: I really can't say.

So what did I do? I pulled the nursing mother card. It's a good card to pull within the confines of a tricky situation such as this.

His demeanor changed, as I surmised it would.

He was going to have someone escort me to my house.

Until I told him my address, that is.

PM: What's your husband's name? What's his last name? What's your daughter's name? How long have they been home? What's your husband's phone number? Does your husband drive a mini van?

What the crap?

Kyle explained later that I should have told the policeman that he couldn't have been the guy they were looking for, because he would never be caught dead driving a mini van.

Of course. What was I thinking?

The policeman repeated his warning that I couldn't go past the road block.

He told me to go to another house while he called my husband.

Rude. Just rude.

But, he made it up to me by letting me take a picture of him with my phone after I explained that I have a blog.

I live for such picture worthy moments.

But where was I to go? I tried Molly's. I tried Tawny's. I tried Karina's. All the while the cop was watching while I unsuccessfully knocked at empty houses. Thank goodness Eric was home. During my endeavors to find a hideout, Kyle was being summoned by a SWAT team member.
He was blasting country music and folding laundry when his phone rang.

PM: Is this Kyle Osborne? This is the police.

K: Yes...

PM: Go to the window and look to the carport. Do you see me?

K: Uh, yes I do.

PM: Keep your voice down. Grab your baby and meet me outside.

Unfortunately, Lydia was the only thing Kyle did grab. He didn't know he was being banished from the house permanently, so the bottle of milk I had just pumped got left behind.

Eric gave us his house for the afternoon after buying Lydia some diapers at Target. We had lunch at Eric's house and dinner at Monica's. Lydie took a nap in both Quinton and Kimberly's cribs. Molly lent us her car for an appointment we had. We had at least 6 offers for dinner and just that many offers for sleeping on couches/air mattresses if this ordeal continued into the night. Seriously, we have amazing neighbors.

I turned down all sleeping offers, however. Surely this wouldn't continue ALL day. Around 3 that afternoon, Kyle approached the road block to see if he could get anymore information. We thought it was a little silly that we couldn't even go into our house to grab some things. We changed our mind when we saw SWAT team members swarming our lawn, snipers set up next to Kyle's car, and our house being vacated by who knows how many policemen. Wouldn't you know the drama was under our roof?

Left: SWAT men outside our kitchen window
Right: Snipers
(Slavik and Karina's camera has GOOD zoom capabilities)

The neighbors we share a duplex with were not having the best day. A friend who was in a lot of trouble spent the night on their couch. They called the police the next morning when they saw on the news that he was wanted for murdering his recently acquired ex-girlfriend the night before. Call me crazy, but I think it would have been neighborly to inform Kyle and I that they were hightailing it out of there and that we should do the same. Just a thought.

All day we listened to policemen on mega phones repeating, "Rafael, come out with your hands in the air! Rafael, we have you surrounded! Rafael, arriba ahora!" Approaching 6 PM, I had had it.
Rafael? Home boy. Dog. Do you really think they're just going to give up and go away? Can we hurry this little illegal shindig along, because I need my breast pump. Mmmm kay?

Poor Lydie Pie was hungry all day. Because I had pumped that bottle of milk earlier, I was never able to catch up on what she needed. What's a mama to do? I had to talk to someone. The police nearest me were not the ones calling the shots, so I had to walk around to the other side of the neighborhood where they had a three tiered blockade set up.

I could hear them repeating their warning to the neighborhood to stand back and not approach the blockades, but no one issued me a command to stop as I lengthened my strides down the middle of the street. I think it was obvious I was on a mission, because they all stopped talking on their phones to look at me.

I explained to blockade man numero uno that I was a nursing mother and needed to get the milk that was in my fridge. If I'm nursing her, then why does she need milk that's in the fridge? Oh, because I pumped it and I no longer have enough milk in my breasts to feed my child. Can you say awkward with a capital A?
Yes, yes you can.

I was then ushered onto blockade man numero dos. Nursing mother. Bottle of milk. Pump. Awkward.
Passed onto blockade man numero tres.
The command post.
I explained my glorious story for a third time to 4 big SWAT team men. They refused to let me go inside, but they said I could describe a few of Lydia's things that they'd be willing to grab.
Can I just tell you how fun it was explaining to these men what my breast pump looked like?
Of course, some of the attachments were in the drainer next to the sink, so I asked them to grab all "plastic apparatuses."

SWAT: Can you describe these "plastic apparatuses?"
Me: They're like...well, they're like........cone shaped.

What the heck do you think they look like? Shall I play charades?
Highlight of my life, let me assure you.
Lydia, never doubt my love for you.

Would you believe that after all of that, they decided to let us go inside the house?
It was an hour after the fact, but I was so excited. I started to hand Lydia to Kyle, but the policeman totally burst my bubble when he pointed to Kyle and said, "Uh, can he go? I'd rather he went."
I called him sexist. Monica called him chivalrous.
Either way, Kyle was happy.
Kyle said it looks way better on the news if a man gets shot as opposed to a nursing mother.
Plus, he really wanted to see the robot they used to launch the pepper bombs.

I had made a list for Kyle, thinking he'd be allowed to pack a bag. But they gave him 1 minute to grab my breast pump, the bottle of milk, and the car keys before kicking him out. They wouldn't even let him go upstairs.
They told him he could only grab the "essentials." Then looking at my list, the SWAT team member pointed to the word "camera" and said, "Like that. That is not an essential."
Maybe not in YOUR world.

We knew we were evacuated for good when the world's largest pizza arrived and the police asked Kyle if they could use our bathroom throughout the night.
K: Sure, but we ran out of toilet paper today.
SWAT: That's okay, nobody should be doing that anyway.
Word up, Broseph.

I read in an article yesterday morning that they finally got Rafael out at 1:40 in the morning. They tear gassed the house and Rafael came running down the stairs pointing his rifle at the police. Not the smartest tool in the shed. He was shot and wounded.

Best part? Our house is also filled with tear gas. So every surface, every piece of furniture has to be scrubbed/shampooed from top to bottom before Lydia can come back into the house. I'm talking carpets, bedding, clothes, walls. We're supposed to hire a clean up crew and take pictures of anything that was damaged. Holy nightmare.

So that's how we ended up here: In Sacramento.

On my parents' doorstep.

Without so much as a toothbrush to our name.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2011-09-17T17:39:00.002-06:00

Cheesy title?

Meh.
I'm okay with that.

When I was a kid growing up I wanted to be a boy. True story. I loved playing basketball, making mud pies, attending each and every sporting event of my brothers, and pretending like I knew what I was doing on a skateboard. My favorite movie of all time was "The 3 Ninjas." I so badly wanted to take karate lessons so I could kick booty like those awesome kids. I also had a crush on Rocky and Colt...not sure how that worked out with the whole wanting to be a boy thing.

But, as I got older, I realized something: I like dying my hair. I like curling that hair. I like bouquets of flowers, the color pink, massages, and decorative throw pillows. By golly, I must be a woman.

So, I had a party on Tuesday to celebrate all things estrogen.

Sweet hubby.
When I asked Kyle what treats he thought I should provide, he volunteered to make homemade chocolate chip cookies for all my lady friends.

We also had popcorn, sodas, pretty pink sugar cookies provided by Tawny, and the most delicious banana bread provided by Demarae. Toss in some scented candles, nail polish, and a chick flick and you've got yourself the makings of a girl night.

Lydie really wanted to stay up and paint nails with the big girls, but she had a scheduled daddy daughter date upstairs. Next time, Lyd. Next time.

We crammed 10 ladies and 6 kiddos into my living room. But some of the husbands were able to come home form work/school/church halfway through and let their wives have a girl night sans mamahood. I had a great time. Favorite part: the after party. Some of the ladies stayed for an hour after the movie to relax and chat. I really felt like I got to know each of them better and learn things that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise. There sure are some awesome girls here. Thanks for coming everyone!

Summer Happenings

2011-09-14T14:10:00.002-06:00

Summer and fall are a toss up when it comes to my favorite season. I am so looking forward to crisp weather, holidays, and pumpkin scents, but I have loved all of these sunny summer days, just hangin' outside with my Lyd. In my last post, I talked about a typical day in the Osborne house.

But, just as typical is our need to mix things up when we have the time to do it.

Due to our sis-in-law Tenille's suggestion, we hit up the Oakland Flea Market. This was our first time ever going to something like this.

We talked it up on the way, so Lydie was pretty jazzed:

Mmmm...mmm hmmm. Sexy hats, boys.

Side note: Slavik grew that lovely stache in honor of this trip.

He wanted the vendors to think he was poor.

I think it worked...

Ladies

I love how she clings to her daddy when she's tired.

We were there for a few hours. As a result, my chest and the back of my neck got fried. Later that night:
S: "Man, I can't believe how sun burnt I got!"
K: "You're white."
S: "I know, but I'm outside with Lyd everyday!"
K: "You're white..."

Sometimes Kyle has a habit of just tellin' it like it is.

We had another visit from Grandma Val last week!

Grandma and Lydia LOVE each other.

And I love having my mom to hang out with.

My mom brought 2 books for Lydie and a book for me. She knows how to make her girls happy. Don't books and lounging in the sun just scream summer? Here are a few that I've read over the last 6 months:

The role mothers play and why they are so important.

The Holocaust viewed through the scope of Godly forgiveness.

A brilliant, independent nurse dedicating her life to the medical field and the soldiers wounded during the Civil War.

The tale of black maids in a racist Mississippi.

Crazy part? I found all 4 books to be fantastic. In the Summer of 2004 I started recording all of the novels, biographies, religious works, works of literature, etc I completed. I wrote this along with the authors, number of pages, and 1 of 4 images symbolizing how much I enjoyed it. In 7 years I have read 276 books. Some have been amazing, others have been a total waist of time.

I gave the four I read this Summer the highest possible score.

Last Friday, Kyle came happily bounding through the door around 11 AM. There was a bomb threat at his school so all classes had been cancelled for the day.

Of course, we had to celebrate.

Kyle told me I had 10 minutes to put on real clothes and throw my hair up, because we were meeting our neighbor Eric at La Guadalajara Grill.

Bromance + Burritos = Happy Boys

As visible by the tired baby eyes, it was Lydie's nap time, but we gave her a blanket to chew on and she was a trooper.

And, as visible by my less than stellar looks, all I was planning on doing this morning was P90X and diaper duty.

But, you have to take advantage of those bomb threats.

As previously mentioned, Saturdays are now dedicated to BYU football and BBQs.

We put together this activity gym for Lydia right before the Texas game:

Our plan could not have worked better.

She's obsessed with it.

We didn't have to pass her back and forth while we madly cheered on the Cougs.

But, never fear. Baby hungry Eric made sure she got the attention she craves.

As for how the game went?

We don't want to talk about it.

A Day in the Life

2011-09-10T23:23:00.002-06:00

Our little 4 month old Lydie bug has been growing like a weed. Her shoulders are still very narrow, but length wise she fits into most 6 month old clothes. And it's all torso with those itty bitty legs of hers. She is such a happy clam, smiling all day long (when it isn't time to take her naps/go to sleep). Sleep can still be a fight with this one.

I know this is only our first baby, but I would not be shocked if Lydia turned out to be our most animated child. I must laugh at her 20 times a day. Kyle likes to tell people that she's the cutest baby on the planet.

Biased? Perhaps.

But really, have you seen this child? She's at least a top contender ;)

As always, she is a milkaholic. It's what she falls asleep with and what she wants when she first wakes up.

As you've probably figured out by now, Lydie both nurses and takes a bottle with the greatest of ease. As long as milk is being put in her mouth, she couldn't care less. The bottle death grip you see here is a common occurrence. Few things make Lydia sadder than if she thinks you're taking her milk away from her before she's done (if I want to switch her position or wipe her mouth, for example.)

We have her on somewhat of a schedule, though she likes to switch it up.

A typical day goes as follows:

5 AM Wake up. Eat.

5:45-7:00 AM Back to sleep.

7-8:00 AM Eat. Read books. She still LOVES looking at pictures while I sound out the words. She makes a little "o" with her mouth and her eyes go wide. And the highlight of every morning: having morning prayer and watching mama eat breakfast from her highchair.

CUTE jammies from Aunt Kari-Lynn

8:00-10:30 A.M Eat. Morning nap. If Lydia had a bad night, I also sleep during this time. If she had a good night, this is when I do P90X and shower.

10:30-1 PM Eat. I get Lydia dressed for the day. We go on a walk by ourselves for about 30 minutes, enjoying a Pandora playlist as we go, before circling back around to play with neighbors. We often lay under Karina's big tree and watch Emily run through the sprinklers.

1-3:00 PM Eat. Afternoon nap. This is when I have lunch, do chores around the house, and do a little dinner prepping. Gosh dang, I'm domestic. Who woulda thunk it?

3-5:30 PM Eat. Sensing a theme? Lydia and I hang out. She's my buddy. We dance. We sing. We play "All Around the Mulberry Bush" and "Humpty Dumpty". We go on another walk. I finish up any projects that I started for that day and daddy comes home to play.

5:30-6 PM Lydia watches Kyle and I eat dinner at the table. She smiles and smacks her little lips at our food. We usually let her lick something, but she's still pretty confused by it.

6-6:30 PM If we're lucky, Lydia will take a mini nap to help her cope until it's time for bed. At no point in time does she like to be awake for more than 2 hours. So you can imagine how cah-razy our days are when she fights me on the nap thing.

6:30-8 PM We do whatever we can to keep Lydia awake and happy until bedtime. This usually includes another walk, sometimes to Target or other such errands. I've mentioned before that Lydia loves going to the store. Or we'll go to a neighbor's house/have them over to ours.

She loves watching Emily and Quinton play. She kicks her legs and squeals. I think she's ready to play with the big kids.

Lydia will be best friends with whomever is willing to interact with her.

She's our social little lady.

8-8:30 PM If all goes well, Lydie is in bed by now. We give her a bath every other night (which she's obsessed with) and, of course, she'll eat a lot gearing up for the night ahead. She typically wakes up once or twice before she's allowed to eat. Any waking before 5 AM and we just put the binky back in her mouth.

8:30-11 PM Kyle and I get to talk without Lydia trying to tell her own story. She has found her voice and isn't afraid to use it. We watch a movie. Kyle studies. I blog. We read scriptures and hit the hay so we'll be ready for another day with this munchkin:

Lydia is our princess. Life has such purpose now that she's apart of it. She is adorable, crazy, happy, amazing, and yes, at times, she is difficult. But I wouldn't change her for the world, and that's a fact. A family friend gave me some good advice when Lydia was first born: make every stage your favorite. So far so good. She absolutely melts our hearts.

4 Years

2011-09-05T16:58:00.000-06:00

From the day we first held hands.

4 Years ago today, Kyle and I spent the day tubing down the Provo River with a group of friends.

We shared a tube.

I sat on his lap.

We flirted.

And at the end of it all he asked me out to dinner.

We went our separate ways to shower and he picked me up later that night. We were both tanned from our day on the water and I had my hair up in a high, very blonde messy bun. I had on black, Roxy board shorts and strawberry lip gloss. We drove to Outback Steak House, placed our names on the waiting list, and walked over to Borders. We sat on the floor and looked at a book filled with images of animals making funny/cute expressions while we waited for our little contraption to buzz.

On our way back to the restaurant, Kyle reached down mid sentence and took my hand in his like it was the most natural thing in the world. And we've been holding hands ever since.

What did we do to celebrate you might ask?

We measured ourselves. Whaa?

You heard me right. We busted out the measuring tape.

Kyle entered into a 5 month weight lifting competition with his brother 4 weeks ago, and asked me to take some before measurements and pictures. For kicks and giggles I had him take my measurements too.

In 4 weeks Kyle has gained an inch on each arm.

And he's been flexing all day. Beating his chest. Doing one armed pull ups when he's sure I'm watching.

You know...man things.

I lost 2 more inches from my waist, 2 off of my hips, and another inch off of each thigh.

And I'm counting my lucky stars, because I may or may not have existed solely off of Costco muffins for the last 3 days.

Evil. Evil. Muffins.

We bought some much more self-esteem boosting food this afternoon.

And just in case you were wondering...

We made sure to hold hands the whole way there.

Let the Brainwashing Begin

2011-09-04T17:26:00.000-06:00

In general, my family took 2 kinds of vacations growing up: an amusement park or Provo, UT.

Why Utah?

BYU Bookstore

BYU Creamery

BYU Library

BYU Campus

BYU Football

We would spend the week taking tours of what my parents would matter-of-factly explain was the greatest university in the world. They showed us where they met, where they dated, where they married, where they lived. My mom would buy 2 large jugs of creamery chocolate milk and a large jug of creamery ranch. Because, we were told, ranch and chocolate milk just don't taste the same anywhere else.

We always had lunch at the Cougar Eat. Never mind that it was exactly like the mall food court, I was amazed that I had 10 different choices all within a 5 yard radius. The bookstore was as good as Christmas morning. I would stare down the mint brownies, navy blue cougar shirts, and rows of books as my Dad would explain that I could pick out anything I wanted to remember my vacation by.

We got to hang out at all the popular college kid joints: The Nickel Cade & Dollar Theater being our favorites. We went on walks around the Provo Temple and picnicked down Provo Canyon. I would dreamily survey couples holding hands and imagine that I was that pretty university girl with flowing hair and lover eyes.

And we always ended the week by walking into Lavelle Edwards stadium where we would cheer the Cougars on to victory. I had a BYU blanket, a BYU sweatshirt, a BYU cheerleader barbie, and a BYU teddy bear that played the Cougar fight song when you pressed his belly. The Cougars weren't a football team. They were our football team.

I was in awe of Brigham Young University. In my mind, it was the place where dreams come true. There was no question, when I grew up, that was where I was going.

So by the time I entered my sophomore year of high school, I made sure to snag myself a best friend that was just as fixated on BYU as I was. My dad woke me up for early morning seminary by throwing open my door and belting "Rise and Shout the Cougars are Out!" Her dad bought her a car with a license plate spelling out "Cougar Girl." Summers were spent at BYU basketball camp or EFY. We spent our weekdays talking about how much more serious the classes at BYU would be and how much cuter we imagined the boys to be. We spent our weekends reading LDS Fiction books about beautiful, independent college women meeting endearing, respectful men at BYU and getting hitched in the SLC Temple.

So it was no surprise that when we graduated from Elk Grove High, Bethany and I applied to 2 schools: BYU & BYU Idaho. I spent the next 4 years studying in the buildings that I had already entered so many times before. Every year I bought an all sports pass that got me into any home sporting event for free. I distinctly remember holding hands with a boy in front of a river down Provo Canyon and catching a little girl who was camping with her family staring at me. Did she want to be me?

I drank creamery chocolate milk every week and bought a new football shirt every season. And when I was 19 I got hitched in the SLC Temple.

Kyle and I miss BYU. It isn't just a school for us, it's a culture.

Starting at around mid May every year my family starts talking about how "football season is almost here."

Well, yesterday was the big day. All week Kyle's been getting texts from my brother Steve.

"T minus 8 days!"

"T minus 5 days!"

What's T?

Steve called me 3 days ago on his way home from work.

"Hey Steve."

"T minus 45 hours!"

It's tradition for Kyle and I to throw a BBQ for the first game of the season. Our parties were a lot bigger when we lived in Provo, but we managed to find some BYU fans amongst our neighborhood friends.

Lydie got a little sleepy in the 4th quarter.

But she held on like a true Cougar and watched BYU beat Ole Miss 14-13.

Cutest cheerleader I ever saw.

Love those navy blues!

When Lydia gets a little older I'm going to tell her she was born with BYU eyes.

Brainwash, what?

How I knew He Was the One

2011-08-31T23:12:00.000-06:00

I have strange feet. I've admitted this to the blogger world before.

Yeah...

They are big.

They are wide.

And they have cRaZy toes that can spread like a frog.

I used to be self conscious of them growing up. But because I refuse to wear anything but flip flops on a typical outing, I learned to get over the fact that my toes look like monkey fingers. As my dad puts it, they are "pick a quarter up off the sidewalk while it's raining without slowing down" toes.

Try saying that three times fast.

What can I say? Not all of us were born with size fivers. So when my 18-year-old self caught a 22-year-old Kyle honing in on my feet after one of our first dates, I got a little defensive.

S: "What are you staring at?"

K: "Your feet."

S: "Whyyyy?"

K: "Because I like them."

S: "Excuse me?"

K: "I know this sounds weird, but I noticed that you have very cute feet."

S: "Is this some kind of joke?"

K: "Why would I be joking? Nobody wants to date a girl with man feet. I just think your's are really cute."

Do mine ears deceive me? A normal, good looking, heterosexual male who thinks I have "cute" feet? Bat your eyelashes Sarah! Bat bat bat.

But, I had to be careful. He hadn't yet beheld the glory of how far they can spread. That's more of say, a 3rd date confession.

But, I'm a staller by nature. How could I admit to the first person who had ever called my feet cute that they were, in fact, very uncute? We had such a good thing going! But, 3 weeks into the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, I knew I had to tell him.

We had just pulled into the Liberty Square underground parking lot. It was after church, so I had a pair of 4 inch black peep toe heals on, safely squishing my toes into a socially normal form. The time had come.

S: "Kyle, I have something to tell you."

K: "Okay."

S: "I probably should have told you a while ago."

K: "Okayyyyy....."

Deep Breath. I mustered up my courage, slipped my foot out of my heel, slapped those piggies up on his dashboard, and spread 'em like I had never spread 'em before.

K: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

S: "Soooo, what do you think?"

K: "I think you're the funniest girl I've ever met."

S: "About my feet. What do you think about my feet?"

K: " I think they're the cutest feet I've ever seen."

And that's how I knew. Kyle was the one for me.

So when Kyle was over to the side of our hospital room watching the nurse clean a freshly born Lydia, I had to ask.

"Ky, whose feet does she have?"

Mine!

The lucky lass got her mama's feet. They spread wide like a frog. We often put one of our fingers between her first two toes and laugh. I'm so proud. Kyle once said, "I didn't think it was possible to duplicate them." But hey, Lydie's special. And someday, when the right guy comes along, he will tell her that they are the cutest feet he's ever seen.

Just One of Those Days

2011-08-28T14:51:00.004-06:00

Lydia had a hard night. It was our fault...we were out all day yesterday and she missed some key napping time. As a consequence, when 3 PM rolled around, Lydie thought it was bedtime.

I don't need to tell you how many times she woke up throughout the night. If you're a parent, you KNOW. Our church starts at 9 AM.
Fast forward to 8:30.

S: Gasp! Kyle the alarm didn't go off!

K: Yes it did, you wanted me to turn it off.

S: I wanted no such thing!

K: Well you must have still been sleeping, but I tapped you and you said, "Nooo."

Smart subconscious.

Just then, Lydia awoke...AGAIN. It was time for her to eat. No big deal, I thought, we'll just skip the first hour. After 40 minutes of eating, I assumed she was swimming in dreamland.

But then I smelled it: pee. Everywhere. She needed to be cleaned in a major way. And Kyle and I were both still in our pajamas with unbrushed teeth.

Goodbye second hour.

Lydia dozed off for the millionth time, so on went my curling iron. I threw on a dress that I haven't been able to wear since before I was pregnant. I wanted to make an appearance in it at my Sister-in-law's wedding 2 months ago, but that wasn't happening. So, I was pleasantly surprised this morning at the flapping fabric. Unfortunately, the zipper was stuck this go around. Only this time, it wasn't my waistline that snagged it. Kyle spent a good 5 minutes getting it to cooperate. Size 4 and it zipped. Victory is mine!

Just one slight problem...I couldn't lift my arms high enough to curl the back of my hair.

Awesome sauce.

Back to Kyle I went to unzip it. He yanked the crap out of that sucker. I hurriedly curled my hair in my G's and carefully donned the dress in such a way as to not muss my trusses. And that's when I discovered that the zipper was hanging from the threads like a limp noodle. Busted. Totally busted. I told you he yanked the crap out of it.

Sad day.

I thought that dress looked good on me.

Even if it did mummify me for the time being.

Kyle spent another 10 minutes trying to fix it, before I threw on another frock so we wouldn't miss the last hour of Sacrament meeting. I carefully picked up a sleeping Lyd and we dashed out the door. We didn't even grab the diaper bag. After a morning like that, we just wanted to make sure we could participate in some portion of church.

5 minutes in and Lydie got the hiccups. NOOOO. Hiccups make her mad and only milk or water can make it stop. But we stayed in our chairs, hoping that she would just deal with them. The children to my right kept looking over at us. Yes, I know her hiccups are loud, but I curled my hair so just let me enjoy 10 minutes of this meeting.

Lydia agreed that she was being too disruptive and began to scream so daddy would take her out in the foyer. 5 minutes later, Kyle came back to tell me that she wouldn't stop. So I entered the foyer to work out a strategy to calm the squeak.

At which point, I smelled it: pee. Everywhere. All over the dress her Great Aunt Jill gave her and all over my hand. Diaper bag location? In my family room.

Awesome Sauce.

Kyle sped home while Lydia screamed and screamed and screamed some more.

I yelled to him from the back seat, "Well, at least we tried!"

That would be our family theme, it would seem, as of late.

And then, something changed when we rushed through the front door.

Lydie was like, "S'all good mama."

She stopped screaming.

Her hiccups finally ceased.

And apparently the pee dripping down her thigh didn't bother her one wee little bit (pun master).

I'm sure we'll laugh about this someday.

Okay, so we already are.

Now, if you'll excuse me, we are ALL going to go take a nap. Or a chill pill. Either one will do.

I COULD JUST EAT HER

2011-08-26T12:33:00.003-06:00

I love this little squish more than words can say.

Be Our Guest

2011-08-26T12:33:00.000-06:00

"We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant to our friend, so we buy ice cream." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Man, did Emerson know Kyle or what?

Lydia is a popular little lass. People can't help but want to come and visit her. And since I'm a social gal myself, we get a lot of guests.

My mom comes to town about once a month to see her only granddaughter. Last month my sister Julia accompanied her.

I'm still a little wary about leaving Lydia with non family members. I'll get over it. But for now it's awesome when we get live-in babysitters. Julia and my mom took over baby duty while Kyle, I, and our neighbor Eric went to the movies and to get some In & Out burgers.

Eric had 3D tickets for Captain America. I'm not much of a super hero movie kind of person, so I was pleasantly surprised by how entertained I was by it. But then again, I spend all day with a kid who cracks up when I make spit bubbles, so my entertainment radar isn't currently up to par.

While Kyle was at school, us girls took part in Lydia's favorite activities. Namely, going on walks.

Tree Hugger

Auntie Love

We made their last evening a game night.

Yes, it was my idea. Always is.

2 weeks later, we had another Bethany sleepover. Love those.

Kyle bought dove chocolates and chocolate milk so we could have an afternoon chick flick fest with "Prince of Persia." It would have been a grand party, but I managed to contract mastitis during this visit. Ouch. Still not anywhere as painful as the first 5 months of pregnancy, but I'm still not a fan. It greatly resembles the flu: nausea, chills, hot flashes, vomiting. I was lucky to have my friend there to take care of Lydia until Kyle came home from school.

Wearing one of the 3 cute outfits Bethany brought for her.

The next weekend I made a different kind of goal. Each morning I make plans for myself. They usually revolve around cleaning a certain room in the house, having scripture study, working out, making a blog post, or making dinner. But this particular Friday, I decided that my goal was to look like I did before I had a baby. I.E showered, full makeup job, straightened hair, a top that doesn't say "BYU." It took me all day, but with a little cooperation from Lydie, success was had.

Independent Woman~I'm so proud.

(letting mama put mascara on)

When Kyle walked through the door that day he said, "I have a proposition for you."

This has always been Kyle code for "I want to go somewhere."

This time it was Sacramento. So we packed up the Lyd in 30 minutes and set out for free babysitters.

We got Lydia ready for bed shortly after arriving at my parent's house. A pallet of blankets was assembled for her. But when Aunt Julia inspected our job, she felt it wasn't soft enough. So she pulled the quilt from her own bed for Lydia and slept with a different blanket that night. As Kyle said, "Now that's true love." Too bad Lydie peed on it :)

With miss squeak down for the night, Kyle and I left to see "The Help." It seems like it's been forever since we've stayed out past midnight together.

I L.O.V.E loved this movie. I keep telling people they need to read the book before they see the movie. Doooo it.

The next day we all spent the afternoon at the mall. I got a new pair of "date shoes" (non-flip flops) and Kyle got some new shirts for church and when he starts clinic. Then my mom treated us to B.Js.

Best pizza ever.

Sunday was spent churching, relaxing, playing, and eating the yummy tilapia, rice, and salad dinner my mom made. And Kyle had another "proposition" for me. We found out Steve's ward was playing ultimate frisbee for FHE the next night and Kyle just HAD to be apart of it. So we decided to stay until Tuesday. Kyle makes sure to never miss class with the idea in mind that when an opportunity of this magnitude arises, he can be there.

Getting amped up for laying out at Elk Grove park.

It was a little too shady to get a tan, but I brought food for the ducks as my back up plan.

My lovely little gummy bear was in heaven making multiple loops around the large duck pond.

At 8 pm that night we met Steve's ward in a dark field for the frisbee showdown. The time had come for a test of skills: were we still as good as we were in our BYU ultimate frisbee league days?

I'm proud to say that "Team Taylor" dominated. Steve, Kyle, and I took it upon ourselves to make up the defense portion of our gang, sprinting into battle every time the disc was launched. Oh, we take our frisbeeing seriously.

Because Kyle didn't head back until Tuesday, Lydie and I decided to just stay the week with my parents. Steve had already planned on visiting us that weekend, so it made sense to get a ride down with him.

Remember what happened last time I stayed the week without Kyle? Lydie fuss fuss fussed her life away. The exact same thing happened this time. Sigh. All I can think of is that she misses her daddy, because she is so much happier at home. Skype was our best friend.

There were some ups to the week, however. More walks, naturally. And another all female trip to the mall. Lydie loves to shop. She sure didn't get that from me.

"Thank you Grandma Osborne for my monkey outfit!"

(This was sent to Kyle and I before Lydia was even born and the itty bitty finally fits into it)

"I simply can't take my eyes off of my feet when I wear it."

I call Lydie my drama baby. If she doesn't get enough sleep she is either grinning her head off or screaming to beat the band.

On my last day I finally met up with Bethany after cancelling twice. And it was just what I needed after a stressful week with Lydia. We each had a farmer's market peach for breakfast and set our sights on Nail Chateau. New favorite place for Sacramento pedis. Seriously. They had bomb leather recliners, chilled bottled water, neck pillows. Add to that a foot massage, best friend, and french polish and that's my kind of morning.

When Steve, Lydia, and I walked through my front door that night, there was a pink gift bag on the kitchen table containing this bad boy:

Easily the best present I've ever gotten. I'm so glad that Kyle didn't wait until Christmas to give it to me (original plan). Kyle does spinal screenings for a local chiropractor and, unbeknownst to me, had created a camera fund.

As my blog readers know, recording those little moments of joy are so important to me. Pictures, thoughts, events...I don't want to forget a single one. This blog is our family history. Clearly I don't go into every aspect of our personal lives. That wouldn't be appropriate. I focus mainly on the positive; not in an effort to make our lives look perfect, but to record what I want to look back on. Life and people aren't perfect. But life is good. People are good. And it is a continuous goal of mine to live and think as positively as I can. To me, this camera represents one more way to more fully capture this wonderful time in our lives. I'm in love with it!!

Steve and I made it home just in time for the ribs kyle had grilling on the BBQ. After dinner, we put Lydie in a portable bed and walked down the street to party #1: outdoor movie night at Matt and Tawny's house.

All of our neighborhood pals:

Nice model poses, guys.

After some fun socializing, s'mores, and part of the movie "Limitless," we walked a few doors down to party #2: Karina's 23rd Birthday.

After the parties we watched episode #1 of "Daybreak" on Netflix. Kyle and I said goodnight to Steve and went to bed. At 5 AM we found him passed out on the couch instead of upstairs in the spare bed. Come to find out he had decided to watch 7 episodes. The little crazy.

Kyle had to do spinal screenings all day Saturday, which was fine because Steve finished all 13 episodes of "Daybreak." Ha!

Look at that concentration.

Halfway through his marathon of madness we took a nice walk to Target and did some window shopping. It was mostly just to get Lydia out of the house.

Lydie is so entertained by Steve. Every time she started to fuss Steve would hold her out in front of him and say, "Hey busta! You don't cry when the man is watching you!" And she would immediately start grinning. Apparently I need to learn some intimidation tactics from my brother.

Testing out the new camera

(I've had it for 5 days and I've already taken over 200 pictures!)

Watching us eat, of course.

Phew, we're exhausted. But looking forward to another Grandma Val visit in 2 weeks!

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

2011-08-26T12:32:00.003-06:00

As exhilarating as cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels can be, this is what does it for the Osbornes:

KYLE:

GOLF. He has been known to call a golf course one of the most beautiful places on earth. And here's the best part: he isn't joking.
ICE CREAM. Specifically vanilla with some kind of candy bar mixed in. A few minutes ago I asked my mom, "What immediately comes to mind when you think of something Kyle loves?" Without hesitation she answered, "Ice cream!"
FOOTBALL. I have a story for you. We've got us some loud neighbors on our hands (we live in a duplex). 2 youngish cousins with their 2 youngish girlfriends + lots of youngish friends = lots of loud music and partying. I have my sneaky little ways of getting back at them, such as blasting the most annoying Mo Tab songs next to our shared vent. What? Is there such a thing as annoying church music? shhhh. But, what I'm truly looking forward to is when football season rolls around. This will literally be the first year that I will not remind Kyle to not yell so loudly that the neighbors think he's murdering someone. Yell away, honey. Yell away!
ANATOMY: Noooooo, not in a creeper kind of way. In a dissecting cadavers kind of way. Okay, so it's a little creepy.
CHIROPRACTIC. Obviously. If you get him in a room with another student/chiropractor, don't expect to spend the evening talking about the latest movie or what you did last weekend.
TENNIS. Along with football, wrestling, and golf, Kyle was on his high school tennis team. He bought me my first pink racket a year or so ago and he's been showing me the ropes ever since.
BEING OUTSIDE. This really goes for everyone in our family. Whether it's frisbee, the park, or finding a local walking trail, Kyle prefers the sun to the couch. (and I'm glad!)
MUSIC. Besides the ever present radio he blasts, Kyle loves to sing and play the guitar. He participated in a lot of competitive choirs throughout high school.
DREAMING. Kyle love love loves to dream. If he's not planning the minute intricacies of our future house, he's throwing out 20 different marketing ideas for what he calls our future full body wellness center (Chiropractic office). And if he's not telling me about the boat, jet skiis, and mini plane we're going to own someday, he's giving me choices for next year's summer vacation.
FAMILY. This was one of the first things that attracted me to Kyle. He genuinely loves each person in his family and enjoys spending time with them. I knew he'd be just as devoted to a family life with me and our future children as he was with his immediate family.

SARAH:

SUMMER. Oh I love the sun. Laying in the sun. Walking in the sun. Sun activities. I should probably move to Hawaii.
BOOKS. I'm kind of a book snob. And I'm not talking about the sophistication of the topic. (I've been known to spend some good hours soaking up a plot line that people probably shouldn't find entertaining past the age of 15). I'm referring to the Kindle epidemic. Yahoo news recently released an article stating that books will soon become as obsolete as VHS and video cassettes. Well, if that's the case y'all can come see my future library museum.
BYU FOOTBALL. Holler at yer Cougars now! We've all entered a state of giddiness now that college football is about to arrive.
WRITING. I haven't done much since leaving BYU, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't dream of participating in the writing field someday.
NETFLIX. We have this hooked up through our wii. I'm not a big fan of t.v. And not just because of how trashy it is. You can spend hours wasting time by flipping through channels. I like that there is a beginning and an end with Netflix.You find something that looks interesting, watch it, and walk away, because there's no commercial at the end luring you to "stay tuned" for the next show. Kyle and I are in a documentary phase. We often lay in bed at night and discuss what we learned. Does that make us nerds? Oh well.
JOGGING. Okay, leeeetle bit of a fib. I'm just trying to make up for the whole documentary thing. But I do do it a lot. So, we're gonna have that count.
FREEBIES. It's no secret that I like to enter giveaways. But I haven't yet told you about a little thing called freecycle. After you subscribe to a city near you, you receive emails from people who have something they don't want anymore. If you are the first one to email them back, they send you their address to come pick it up. Some of my favorites that we've received are a brand new Eddie Bauer bassinet, pink bouncer, tons of cute baby clothes, books, and a BBQ that Kyle uses at least once a week.
BASKETBALL. This has always been my favorite sport to play. It probably stems from the envy I felt watching "the big boys" play in our old front driveway. Kyle and I always extend a b-ball playing invitation to our families during holiday vacations.
WATER. Lakes, beaches, swimming. It's enough to make a girl happy.
TRAVELING. When I lived in Israel for 4 months I discovered a world I didn't know existed. So now, besides our obvious love of visiting our family members, Kyle and I have a list of foreign places we want to go some day.

LYDIA:

THE GROCERY STORE. I've never known someone to be so enthralled with the produce section.
BATH TIME. She's a water baby to be sure. When she's old enough, Lydie and mama are going to love spending days at the pool.

Pure Joy

GOING ON WALKS. Especially if there's a good tree around to gawk at.
MILK. It is beyond me why she still measures so small for her age. It's probably because she was so little at birth, because this chica can pack it away! You know that country song "Rockin' the Beer Gut?" Kyle and I like to pat Lydie's belly and sing "Rockin' the Milk Gut." Stay classy Osbornes.
BINKIES. I've mentioned this love of hers before. The obsession also extends to her hands. She just needs something to suck on.
GETTING HER DIAPER CHANGED. She doesn't like having a dirty bum. At all. She will grin and grin when you clean her. Early potty training, anyone? Woot woot!
THE DADDY SHUFFLE

This is how Kyle puts Lydie to bed. Am I the only one who loves how far she sticks her bum out? :)

ABC BOOK/MY LITTLE BOOK ABOUT JESUS. Lydia loves looking at cardboard books with colorful images. She will often sit on my lap and have me read to her for up to 20 minutes if there are good pictures to focus on.
DISNEY SONGS. This is how Lydie and Aunt Julia spend their afternoons together. She is one happy lady with all the attention she gets when we go to Grandma Val's house!
WATCHING PEOPLE EAT. We've got a foodie on our hands! You can hear her lips smacking from across the room if you're eating something that looks good to her.

She's a big fan of sitting in her highchair while Kyle and I eat dinner. I think she's really going to enjoy when we start giving her solids in a few months.

"You're not leaving the table until you eat your pea."

That's the Way I Stroll

2011-08-14T23:03:00.009-06:00

Or so says Lydie's Onesie

Aunt Julia gave Lydia this cute outfit in honor of her deep love of going on walks.

We go on at least 1 walk a day. But little miss usually asks to go outside 3-4 times a day. We have a few girls on our street that often join us.

A few weeks ago we were out on a walk when one of my ~~crazy~~ less than sane neighbors came over to chat. I've mentioned Rachel on this blog before: snow white hair, lots of missing teeth, always covered in cat hair, fellow walk lover. I really do like stopping to talk with her and she's another Lydie fan.

R: You guys don't get out enough!

S: Oh, uh...we actually go out a ton.

R: No no no, people with little babies never get out enough. You don't get out enough!

S: Oh, well um...

R: Do you like to go out to dinner?

S: Why yes I do.

R: Great, you and your husband go out to dinner and I'll sit on the porch and watch the baby.

S: Um...that's very kind of you but...

R: And you don't even need to pay me. I love little babies (stroking Lydia's cheek and clucking at her). But you can pay me if you want to...

Ha ha ha! Rachel is a dear, but that will occur over my dead body. Good thing my mom and sis were in town at the time to give me a good excuse as to why I would not release my grip on that stroller.

Lydia is a summer baby through and through. Thanks to all of our awesome neighbors, she's made a lot of little friends. Slavik, Karina, and Emily invited us to go to a gorgeous park on the beach.

Man made Lydie shade

We lounged in the sun and played a lot of frisbee (notice Kyle in the background)

I keep a quilt next to our front door so that Lydia and I can lay in the yard when I've tired of our walks. I would worry about her being cooped up come winter, but Lydie loves being outside no matter the time and no matter the weather.

So a few weeks ago we bundled her up on a chilly night and hit up some mini golf.

Don't judge my hair...it was humid AND windy. No bueno for what Kyle affectionately calls my "poodle" hair.

Slavik, Karina, Emily

KC, Molly, Hank

Lydie was SUCH an awesome sport. She sat in her stroller the entire time we were there.

We had quite the rousing spouse competition. There was more than a little trash talk. And much to everyone's dismay, there was a 3 way tie. Not even kidding. Each set of spouses got a combined total of 109 points. What the?? So the rest of the evening was spent with each one of us remembering a bad hole and saying, "Man, if I had just done one stroke better!" If only...

Our fun group. Have I mentioned how much I love my neighbors? Kyle and I sometimes feel like we're back at BYU with all the young couples we have to hang out with.

See Rachel...we do get out.

The Many Faces of Lydie Gwen

2011-08-09T16:43:00.003-06:00

But, I didn't say who was making those faces.

Lydie Frown

Gosh dang we're attractive

Lydie Stretch

Lydie Excited

I lose...what was I thinking showing teeth?

Lydie Poo

All right class, raise of hands as to who thinks Kyle took this one a leeetle too seriously?

We think we're funny. Especially at 1 AM.

The state of exhaustion that led to these pictures was due in whole to Lydie's lack of sleep the night before and all throughout that day.

And home girl can be kind of a crab when she doesn't get a nap in.

"Hand over the milk and nobody gets hurt."

So Lydia got put in a 20.5 second time out. You know, because of the whole 1 minute for every year old you are rule?

She thought it was all a big joke at first.

So I was forced to give her a talkin' to. You can't let these 2 1/2 month olds walk all over you, ya know.

I think we understand each other better now.

I am a Mother

2011-08-05T21:06:00.006-06:00

I just finished reading a book entitled thus. A truly enlightening book. A book with truths that I believed, but needed to hear.

My mother-in-law (an incredible mother in her own right) gave me this book as a present on my 22nd birthday. At the time I was living in Dallas, TX and so sick with pregnancy that I couldn't stand up to walk across the room, let alone focus my blurry, head-achy eyes long enough to read. The book was packed away in our move and I just recently pulled it from my ever-evolving "I'm going to have a library in my home someday" collection.

I don't think it was a coincidence that I waited until now to read it. I've been a mother for almost 3 months. Truly a veteran, right? The beginning was tough. I was not blessed with a "sleeper." The hormones released from giving birth and nursing, combined with extreme exhaustion made me sad. Not depressed, but sad. I had my fair share of "I don't know why I'm crying" moments.

All of a sudden I had this precious little being who depended on me for EVERYTHING. I was supposed to feed her, change diapers, burp, rock, sing, nurture. I was filled with anxiety for her well-being. What if I wasn't good enough?

But wait, there was a house to clean too. How was I supposed to set her down long enough to tackle those dishes piling up in the sink? Or the laundry, or the vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, straightening? Oh, but wait a second, I forgot: I'm a wife too. To a guy who spends all day studying his brains out so he can have a good career and I can continue to stay home with our children. He'd probably like some dinner when he comes home, huh? But whoops, I haven't been to the grocery store in 2 weeks. Tuna sandwiches anyone? Oh and Kyle if you could open the tuna and mix it and wash the lettuce and grab the pickles, I'll lay out the bread. Ta da, I made dinner!

And then there was me. Sarah. Not Lydia's mom or Kyle's wife. Just me. When was I going to sleep, or eat, or lose the 55 lbs I gained in pregnancy? Yeah, you heard that right. 55. We'll talk about it later.

But as the weeks passed it got better. I was filled with such indescribable joy when I looked down at my beautiful daughter with her big, googly "I'm so happy to see you mama" eyes. She had faith in me. She trusted me. And so did God. Eventually I did learn how to read Lydie books, take her on walks, exercise during her nap (if she takes one), feed, change, play itsy bitsy spider, clean the house, and have a real dinner cooking by the time Kyle walks through the door. Not everyday. But most days.

It is work being a mother. Joyful work. Hard work. So why does the world tell me that it's not important? Why do people think motherhood is not a real job? In her book, Jane Clayson Johnson relates an experience in which she attended an LDS business function with her husband. She was a very new mom at the time. She listened as the men took their turns listing their prestigious professions, degrees, and successes. And one by one she listened to their wives stand up and give different variations of the phrase, "I'm just a mom." "My life's not very exciting right now; I'm just a stay-at-home mom." "I don't have any credentials; I'm just raising our six children." "I'm just a mom."

Reading this, I felt the same way Jane did. If you don't call that real success, real accomplishment, real work...then what the crap am I doing all day everyday? Okay, so Jane didn't say that. But in slightly different words, she sure as heck thought it.

President David O McKay once said, "She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come,...long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have decayed or shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God. In her high duty and service to humanity..., she is co-partner with the Creator himself" (Gospel Ideals, 453-54).

CO-PARTNER WITH THE CREATOR HIMSELF

If we are to believe this, then no banker, lawyer, doctor, or dentist does work that is even half as important as the work mothers do. I do not say this to bring down the importance of what men do. For mothers who choose to stay home (and I'm not saying that's right for everyone) hard working men make this possible. I am forever grateful for the work that Kyle does in preparation to support our family. And I know that the work I do is just as important, if not more so. "For Satan has declared war on motherhood. He knows that those who rock the cradle have the power to rock his earthly empire" (Sheri Dew).

It makes me sad when even LDS women do not see the merit in what they do. Why are women ashamed to be stay-at-home moms? Because the world tells us that if we are not making money we are not contributing? We are contributing far more than the world could ever imagine, and we are doing it without prestige and without monetary reward. Every CEO, every world leader had a mother to coax, teach, support, instill. Perhaps the world will never again know this truth, but I hope that women of the church always will. "If the day comes when we -- meaning covenant women of God -- are the only women on earth who find nobility and divinity in motherhood, so be it" (Sheri Dew). We are in the business of raising people. And we should be proud of it.

This is not to say however, that we must do everything ourselves. Without my own support system of family and friends I could never do this. The book addresses the fact that all LDS women, all mothers are in the same boat. So why do we criticize one another? The following quote rang true to me:

"If LDS women criticize each other rather than connect with and support each other, the adversary wins the day by driving wedges into natural, womanly relationships of strength. Because women can give so much never-failing charity to each other in relationships, one curse of the modern world has been to isolate and alienate women -- including LDS women -- from one another by making them more competitive" (Elder Bruce C. Hafen).

After I read this quote, do you know what I did? I started thinking of all the women I know who criticize others too often and how destructive that is in the church. Oh the irony of it all. How many times have I said to Kyle, "Oh, I couldn't be good friends with her, we're too different." How does that make sense? It doesn't.

How many times have I either heard or said the following:

Her children are out of control. Doesn't she know how to discipline?

Her children are like little robots...she needs to lighten up.
She should cut her hair/ She has mom hair.
She's super shy/ She talks too much.
So and so watches R rated movies/ So and so is a Molly Mormon.
Ugh, could she be any more gorgeous/sweet/talented/perfect?
She's a working mom.
She's just a mom.

Elder Bruce C. Hafen said, "Can we love and support each other without judging each other so harshly? So many of us are trying our hardest to live the commandments, often against great odds in our personal lives and unique family situations. Heaven knows, the world isn't giving us much support in these relationships. Let us support one another, even when -- especially when -- we differ on matters of personal choice and circumstance."

I read this book during the many hours I spend nursing and rocking Lydia. So I had a lot of time to think about the role I play in criticizing other mothers or just women in general without even realizing I'm doing it. There must be a reason why we are always counseled against negativity and gossip: it's everywhere. And I decided something: I don't want to be that girl. I'm hard enough on myself without other people talking badly about me, and I should show the same kindness to others. So I've started a positive activity: for every name that pops into my head I pick a physical attribute that is lovely, a talent that they possess, and a quality that I admire in them. I began with family members & close friends and moved on to girls on my street and in my ward. And you know something? It was EASY. My biggest problem turned out to be narrowing it down. Her eyelashes are stunning...wait no, her hair is the perfect color. She is just so dang friendly...wait, maybe I admire her faith more. I don't want to just smile in the hallway when I see women at church; I don't just want to speak kindly of them; I want to think kindly of them. After all, we are all sisters. We are all mothers. If not in this life, than the next.

More than 60 years ago the First Presidency of the LDS church defined motherhood as "the highest, holiest service...assumed by mankind" (Improvement Era. November 1942, 761). What mothers do is sacred work. If I can accomplish one thing in this life it would not be to write a book, make lots of money, or build that library that I dream of. It would be to raise righteous, happy, productive children and support other moms in doing the same.

You will never hear me say, "I am just a mother."
Here's to proudly leaving out the "just."

*Every quote I use is found in "I am a Mother" by Jane Clayson Johnson*

Why Lydia May Never Know Her Real Name

2011-08-02T22:09:00.001-06:00

Lydie (of course)

Lydie Bug

Lydie Pie

Lydie Girl

Lydie Baby

Lydie Gwen

Pretty Lydie

Itty Bitty Lydie

Pretty (Uncle Steve's name)

Lyd

Lydma (You know Kwillma & Swillma had to have a Lydma)

Squeak

Squeakma

Baby

Peanut (Grandma Val's name)

Fussma

Little (as in, oh you little...except we're nice parents and don't finish the sentence. Ex: "How was Lydie today?" "She was a little." "Mmmm, I hate it when she's a little)

Bugaboo

Munchkin

Poopma

Peema (yeah, we do that to her)

Squishma

Sugar

Sugar Plum (Aunt Julia's name)

Sleepma

Milkma (She really is)

Sweetie Pie

Girlfriend

Lil' Mama

Happy Bug (Sung to "Mary Had a Little Lamb" tune: Lydie is a Happy Bug, Happy Bug, Happy Bug, Lydie is a Happy Bug and I love her so)

Tune also good for: Sleepy Bug, Pretty Bug, Hungry Bug, & Pretty Pie

"Lydia, look at mama!"

"Lydia, smile for the camera!"

"Lydia?"

"Lydia..."

"Milkma?"

I have no one to blame but myself. Okay, and Kyle too.

California Girl

2011-07-30T21:59:00.008-06:00

3 days after we got back from our big 3 week vacation, Lydia and I drove up to Sacramento to spend a week at my parent's house. Have I mentioned how much I love living in California ? (Kyle I hope you're reading this). I love being able to pop up to my home town. You've got beaches here, lakes, mountains, beautiful summer weather, warmish winters, nice people. Good plug, no? Plus, we've got a slew of family members that regularly ask if they can keep Lydia. Okay, so the same could be said about Washington on that last one, but.... but....

Unfortunately, Lydie turned into a mama's girl from hell for the first few days of our trip. Why this occurred, I do not know. SHE WANTED NO ONE BUT MAMA. And she was not silent about it. Every time someone tried to give me a break she would scream her tiny little head off until I gave in and took her back. (It hurts my heart when I hear her hysterically cry...hopefully I'll get over that someday). And the best part: she didn't sleep for longer than 1 hour for 48 hours straight. Our conversations went something like this:

"Lydia, I'm flattered and all, but something's gotta give."
"Squeak."
"If I don't get some sleep I may self implode."
"Squeak. Squeak."
"I'm glad you understand, here's Grandpa."
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Okay okay, calm yourself squish."
Sniff. Sigh. Sniff. "Squeeeeeak."

She's good at teaching us all who's boss.

But, on day 3 something magical happened. Lydia fell asleep for 8 hours. For the first. time. EVER.

And then, life as a baby didn't seem so bad anymore.

Good Morning, Lydie Pie!

As an interesting side note, this was the day that Lydia started insisting on going to bed at night. She goes to sleep between 6:30 and 9:30 everyday now. She'll usually wake up around 3 AM to eat and go back to sleep until around 6:30 AM. Now, I'm no lover of 6:30 AM wake up calls. But seriously, for a 2 1/2 month old this schedule ROCKS.

What's this? Someone besides my mama is holding me and I'm okay with it? Scooooooore.

We had a family BBQ to celebrate my parent's wedding anniversary:

32 Years and going strong

Julia and my mom were such a HUGE help to me while I was there. Even when Lydia was being fussy and demanding they adored her and talked about her "scrumptiousness" (Julia's word). I love how much they love her. Once Lydia started being okay without me, my mom woke up for her 3 AM feeding and many times for her 6:30 AM feeding so I could sleep (I just kept bottles stocked in the fridge). And everyday they kept her entertained while I went running outside and showered.

My best gal pals from high school were all in town at the same time. So I had a little lunch party over at the house. It's always great getting together and catching up.

Friends since we were 13.

Me, Krista, and our kiddos.

I accidentally made Lydie look like a hippie baby that day.

Emily was able to make it too!

When Bethany Gwen and Lydie Gwen are in the same room together, you can bet they'll be in each other's arms.

I love planning trips up to Sacramento and having family and friends come visit us in San Leandro. It makes me happy always having something to look forward to. And it makes being at home that much sweeter.

I had these waiting for me when I walked through the door:

Kyle: "Do you like your flowers? I assembled them myself. Sunflowers are in season you know."

Sarah: "Oh I love them. Thank you! Bethany used to get me sunflowers for my birthday all the time in high school."

Kyle: "That's impossible. How did she get you sunflowers in November?"

Sarah: "I don't follow."

Kyle: "I was told sunflowers are in season right now."

Sarah: "You can buy sunflowers year round."

Kyle: "Gasp! The sunflower lady got me!"

Sarah: "Um, well, perhaps sunflowers are like fruit. You can buy them year round but they are BEST when they are in season. I LOVE them!"

Kyle: "Don't sugar coat it. I was coerced into buying year round flowers."

Kyle takes his flower buying seriously.

Poooor Daddy.

Here's Your Sign

2011-07-26T22:32:00.006-06:00

It does not offend me when strangers ask me if my baby is a boy or girl. Somewhere buried deep within my subconscious, I am vaguely aware of the fact that my loverly resembles a little old man. Only the cutest of old men, mind you. (and is it just me, or does she get more and more gorgeous everyday? as if that were possible. blah blah blah, yeah...I know) For this reason, I, like most of the women in America, have done my best to give the general public a hint as to what species of pink blob I'm pushing around in my stroller.

Exhibit A: Car Seat

Perhaps the vibrant Hawaiian flowers are a wee masculine?

Exhibit B: Clothes

I'm not one of those modern moms who puts their daughter in yellows, blues, and greens. I'm a PIIIINK lover. But the 2 times I did put her in blue, you can bet it was accompanied by flowers, hearts, and frills.

Exhibit C: Blankets

I can see how these might be gender confusing, can't you?

Exhibit D: Bows

50...there are 50. And I use them liberally.

Behold the Awesome Girliness

Based off of the above clues, I am a little shocked at how often I get asked the question, "Awwwww, is your baby a boy or a girl?!" I look at her flowered car seat, pink blanket, and fat bow seemingly taking over her noggin, and each time I talk myself out of responding, "Boy. This is my little boy." Do you really think I would do that to a boy!? In the words of the great Bill Engvall, "Here's your sign."