(easy) crafting: ceramic birds

Years ago I saw this idea in a Martha Stewart. Then years after that, but still some years ago, I purchased a few ceramic birds a thrift stores. The original idea was to spray painted them white. However, my living room (entire house, really) suffers from lack of color so adding white accessories would have been missing a chance to add some color.

Finally, I got around to doing something with these birds. I promise I never displayed them as they are here, pre-spray painted. 

And the finished product. I ended up not using the bird that's sitting on a branch because when it was all one color you couldn't really tell what the shape was.

Easy. Cheap. That's how I roll.

(special thanks to Monica for letting me have some of her leftover spray paint. I probably never would have gotten around to buying my own!)

looking back: Spring Break 2011

Last year we stayed around the area for our joint Spring Break instead of going on a trip like we had for the previous two years (Las Vegas in 2009, San Francisco in 2010). In fact, Rob's family all went to Palm Springs and we didn't even go with them. I can't remember exactly - but I think it was because I was big and pregnant and also because we were starting to practice spending less money (still practicing).

Instead, we decided to spend the week somewhere in the middle between a vacation and a staycation - in Silverdale at Rob's parents' home. It turned out to be really fun. Even though we did activities like:

washing the car

 and prepping baby's cloth diapers

But there were other fun activities. We invited my friend, TaVaun, and her family over for dinner. We made bbq chicken pizza, as we typically do.

Then we went to Port Townsend and Fort Worden. This was my first time at this particular fort. There are a few forts just like this, built to protect the Puget Sound during WWI and II. These forts are really neat places to visit and another thing that makes this area unique (one of my favorite places to bring visitors has always been to Fort Flagler, which is just like this fort).

One thing that is different about Fort Worden from the others is all the historic buildings that are still there. Barracks, officers quarters, blacksmith shop, etc. We couldn't exactly figure out their current uses, but we know that some are used as conference centers and you can even rent out some to stay in.

Rob took some photos around the fort. These forts usually creep me out and because we were the only ones visiting that day, the emptiness made it extra creepy. Oh, and add a drizzly day into the equation and you've got one creeped out Stephanie. It sure is beautiful, though.

(yeah, I didn't join Rob into the fort for these pictures.)

For those of you just tuning in... this is not a current picture! I must have been about 35 weeks pregnant during this trip. In this picture I am checking out the view. The artillery section of the fort is up the hill from the barracks, etc, and there are amazing views of the Puget Sound from up there. I guess there would have to be, seeing as that was the point of having the fort in that location!

 

I got tired and had to sit. I watched some deer for a while - you can see one not too far.

 It was a great last vacation ("babymoon") before little Henry joined us a month later!

A Trip to Seaside

During the holiday break, I get the extreme fortune of having 3 weeks off.   Honestly, my job rules and you probably all should be for cutting funding for higher education because no one should have that much time-off (honestly, in my defense, I guess I am not paid for those 3 weeks off.)  Because we had this time off, we decided to take a couple of trips.  On the first week of our break, we headed off with my Mom to Seaside, OR.

Our first stop in town was a small Mexican place that my family has frequented called The Stand.  One thing that we learned at The Stand is that Henry doesn't like spicy food.  We gave him some rice, that was a little spicy and Henry wanted nothing to do with it.  Apparently, Henry also wanted nothing to do with his shirt (or it got all wet, I can't remember).

My dad was able to get us a nice 3-bedroom Condo with this pretty amazing view:

The next morning we took the kiddo and went on a little walk:

 Henry loved seeing the seagulls -- he gave the goofiest laugh whenever he saw them.

Henry spent time later looking out of the window, hoping to see some of those same seagulls flying by.  No such luck.

We took a drive down to Cannon Beach and walked out on the sand.  Stephanie captured this amazing shot:

                                        

We enjoyed a trip to one of our favorite lunch spots -- The Pacific Way Cafe.  My mom still laments the loss of their Tuna Melt which used to be on the menu.  The restaurant is very cool.  Definitely feels like you are eating inside of an old house -- but with much better food than you would expect from an old house.

Henry took an evening bath:

                                          

The next day we putz around town a little bit.  We hit the arcade where I got to play ski-ball (it was my birthday -- and a birthday deserves a ski-ball game) and Henry got to ride on a real train.  Laid back:

And the obligatory carousel ride:

Overall it was a quick trip to Seaside, but we are wanting to go back soon.  Steph mentioned to me that she had never been there during the summer -- and I guess I haven't been there during the summer in a while.  Maybe we'll have to go next summer (hint hint, family!)

Our holiday.

We did a lot this holiday season - I guess for Henry's sake, even though we are aware of the fact that he didn't know what was going on most of the time.  Here are some pictures of what we did. Mostly they are pictures of Henry being really cute.

Our holiday activities started out in downtown Kirkland with the tree lighting. It's a big tree in a parking lot.

 Next, we saw the Christmas Ship. We went to a nearby beach to watch and hear the carols being sung from the boat.

 

At the end of the night we discovered that Henry can't resist falling and staying asleep with his snowsuit on. He easily falls asleep in the car (if it's nap or bedtime), but to stay asleep even after the car is turned off. That never happens. Then asleep during the transfer into the house? I mean never.

 

And the best part... stayed asleep while Rob took him out of the car seat. Rob took advantage of this cuddle time. (he did it again - twice, I think).

Seriously dead to the world. (I think this picture is actually on a different night than the previous two).

There is a botanical garden in a nearby town that has the most amazing Christmas lights - all flowers and other garden-themed shapes. I loved it because it let Henry be right up close to the lights, closer than he gets in a car or when walking around the neighborhood even.

Henry met Santa. We hadn't planned on getting Santa pictures, and we probably won't do it again - but there was a Groupon or something and it wasn't an insane price, as it is without the coupon. The experience was pretty anticlimatic. I don't know if Henry even knew whose lap he was sitting on, actually.

Then, we saw Santa again. The same day, at our ward party. We were happy to see that Henry liked Santa, even while looking at him this time.

 

Some walks in our neighborhood. That snowsuit really came in handy - we haven't had any snow yet, but I didn't have to feel guilty about having my baby outdoors in the cold for all these activities.

We watched the obligatory movies. It really doesn't feel like Christmas for me until I watch White Christmas. Rob's dad likes to watch it, and the story as I understand it (which may be incorrect) is that it's one of those movies that the dad wants to watch and can occasionally convince the kids to watch with him (for my dad, it's The Third Man. b.o.r.i.n.g.). Then I came into the picture - and it's a movie I love to watch every year, as it's a favorite of everyone in my family. Maybe that's why he approved of me back when Rob and I were dating:) Rob's dad wanted to watch it Thanksgiving night, but it was too early for us to be starting the Christmas Season. So, instead, Rob and I sent an evite to his parents to watch it with us. We thought we were fun and clever. Not sure what they thought.

 

And this year we also watched Mr. Kruger's Christmas. This moving makes me sad. Old men make me sad. We watched other movies too - but just a small handful: Elf, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th St (both versions). 

 

We spend Christmas Eve in Silverdale with Rob's family and we went over a day early too. That day we went to the pet store in town. Oh my goodness. I am not a pet person - but I forgot how much of an animal person I am (ie., love animals, but never want to own one). We went for Henry, but I kind of died. A room full of puppies!? What!? Henry enjoyed them, as evidenced by his "heh heh" laugh that he gives to animals and other objects he finds amusing. Well, until the puppy discovered him and jumped up. Then Henry wasn't so sure.

 

I just saw this picture for the first time. Another picture of Torsten and Henry - the most adorable duo (sorry I used the word "adorable" in a sentence about you, Torsten).

My favorite part of Christmas Eve was playing bingo. It was hilarious - James kept winning and the other kids were getting so frustrated with him and blamed him for cheating, and James (who was not cheating) was just as shocked as everyone else. Even funnier was Simon who couldn't seem to win, even after everyone else won 2-3 times. In the end, I was the only one who never won - but Simon, once he finally won a couple rounds, gave me his prize.

Here is Henry with one of his stocking presents - reunited with Sophie the Giraffe! We lost her a few months back and weren't going to get another one, but then decided, "what the heck, it's Christmas!" Other stocking gifts he got: a cute tshirt, Fantastic Mr. Fox dvd, and a Curious George dress-up doll puzzle thing. Henry didn't open his gifts in the car seat, this was after, if you were wondering.

This is the only picture I took on Christmas Day (Rob just took video of the day - what video? This one.) How cute is this hat that he got from my mom? Of course, it only stays on him for a second before he takes it off (it's his new trick), but that one second is adorable!

And... the last celebration. The day after Christmas we get together because that's when our two other nephews, Aidan and Greyson are in town. They acted out the Nativity. This is probably most typically done on Christmas Eve, but ending Christmas with the story of the birth of Christ was perfect. Henry was a willing Baby Jesus. He loves all his big cousins, so he enjoyed just sitting in the basket and watching them.

 

Oh yeah, and then we went to the carousel in downtown Seattle - my favorite Christmas tradition! Here are my parents with 6/8 of their grandkids (8 grandkids because the two in bellies count as half, you see.)

And here's the video I mentioned earlier. Beautiful.


Christmas 2011 from rob nyland on Vimeo.

Henry at 8 Months

In looking at our last post, it appears that we need to start blogging about things other than Henry's milestones, but these will have to do for now.  I'll get Stephanie on creating other blog posts, stat.

Right now, we have a sick boy.  Henry has been throwing up on and off for the past few days, and just really hasn't been his normal goofy/hungry self.  It is really sad to see our boy looking so miserable sometimes, but it is also a reminder of how much we love our little guy.

Here's what's been going on in Henry's life lately:

• He enjoyed the holidays and loved getting to see his family so much.  In the past month we have taken a bunch of trips (I guess we need to blog about those) including a trip to Seaside, OR with Grandma Nyland and a trip to Portland with the Quigleys and Papa & Grandma Farrar.   Henry was a good sport for the most part, and had some good naps in the car.
• He is still an early riser.  He typically goes to bed around 6:30-7.  Wakes up once in the night around 4-5 and then wakes up around 6:30-7am.  Steph and I are convinced that we will never be able to sleep in again.
• Henry's becoming a little bit of a handful.  He is always busy and always trying to get to something.  Usually its the stereo system, fireplace, or Dad's ukulele.  He is no longer the calm/chill baby that he once was.
• He sits like a pro, but prefers to be on his stomach army crawling somewhere.  He still hasn't figured out how those knees can be an asset to his transportation.
• He is quite the talker these days.  He often will just sit in the back seat of the car and have a little conversation with his Sophie the Giraffe.  His most frequently heard phrases are "Mumumum", "Dadadada", and a strange African bushman clicking.
• Last month, we talked about putting Henry in the crib for naps.  We tried it for a couple weeks, but it drastically shortened his nap time (from 2 hours to 45 mins).  Recently we caved in and put him back in the swing -- it's soooo nice.
• Henry loves animals.  When we were at Seaside, we saw some Seagulls and he gave them the goofiest laugh.  So now, we try to go out of our way to find some animals for him to look at.  Today we went to a dog park (without a dog) and Henry thought that they were hilarious.

Here's to you Henry.  We still like you, and are glad that you are in our family.  Hope you feel better soon!

Henry at 7 Months

We forgot that Henry turned 7 months today until late morning - usually we're anticipating it for days (especially those months that include a well-child visit to the doctor). I realized it during Henry's first nap and then went to Rob and said, "Guess what today is?" He didn't guess, so I said, "The second of December, what happens today?" Still didn't know. "Henry is 7 months old!" I feel like not a lot has changed since six months, including his picture - I don't think he looks that different from month-to-month in his pictures since, maybe, four month old. What do you think? I'll try to come up with some new developments for Henry in this past month...

• He is super talkative. Usually just at home with us, but tonight at our ward party he was talking to everyone (and stealing their hearts, I'm sure.)
• I miss the days of Henry lying still while we changed his diaper or his clothes. Not anymore - he is a major wiggle bug, HAS to turn over and gets really upset when we try to stop him. Is this just a stage or will it be like this forever?
• Sleep is the same as last month - still going pretty well. We got back to being able to put him down partly awake and he either doesn't cry or cries for about five minutes (feels like 20). I've gotten into a new routine for naps in that he wants to nurse for a few minutes before going down. I don't mind. I wonder if next month we'll report that he's napping in his crib. One of these days we're going to have to make the transition out of his swing for naps and I have a feeling we're not going to like it.
• He met Santa today! No crying. We actually met two - one at the mall and the other at our ward party. He was oblivious for the first and curious for the second.
• He is a champion sitter! He started sitting really close to the six month mark and now could sit up all day long. He is only starting to learn how to get down on his belly from a sitting position. It either makes him nervous, or he just doesn't remember how to do it most of the time.
• We're in a new stage called, "My family makes me cry." The last 4 times we've seen mine and Rob's family he has screamed - including once when we were talking to them over the computer. It's silly.
• Henry eats a lot (amount), or at least more than I thought a little baby would eat. He's pretty good about all the new food we give him. He loves plain yogurt but for the last couple days we are not giving him any to see if it helps with his spitting up which has been back full force. We don't think he likes spicy food. He got mad at me the couple times I've tried to give it to him.
• He is scooting all over the house, well, he tries. If he were quicker he would be all over. 
• Nursing is not the most interesting thing anymore for him, so where I used to have him on a consistent (not strict, but consistent) eat-play-sleep schedule, I now have to be fine with him just snacking throughout the day. If I can catch him when he's just woken up, before he wants to see what's going on around him, he'll usually nurse for about 10 minutes still.
• He's generally happy and laughing. Our home teacher commented that he can't picture Henry crying. It's true, he doesn't cry much. But he can be pretty squirrely with nothing making him happy when he's in a bad mood.
  

That's all for this month!

100 Things I'm Grateful For

Thanksgiving has passed and I failed to really emphasize the gratitude part of the season. I think the night of Thanksgiving, right before we fell asleep, Rob and I talked about a few things we were grateful for, but that's it. I listened to this message today and thought, "it's not too late to think about and share what I'm grateful for." So, here are 100 things I'm most grateful for, listed here in the format suggested at the end of the link to the message. 1. Write 10 physical abilities you are grateful for. - the ability to provide nourishment to my little baby boy - a capable mind - knees that do all I require of them to do - the ability to climb a flight of stairs or a steep hill - a healthy body that is rarely sick - I quickly recover from those times that I am sick - cooking (I do it with my body) - ability to grow a baby - ability to give birth to a baby - ability to (once upon a time) run in a race 2. Write 10 material possessions you are grateful for. - an apartment that is more than we need it to be - a computer - two cars (even the one that makes me angry) - baby swing - jeggings - artwork - money in the bank - wedding ring - food - food storage 3. Write 10 living people (or groups of people - I added that) you are grateful for. - Jesus Christ - my husband, who is my best friend - my little baby boy - all my family - police officers - Young Women presidency - friends - Julie Beck - safe drivers - ward family 4. Write 10 deceased people (or groups) you are grateful for. - Joseph Smith - Papa - Grandpa Bill - Abraham Lincoln - Gordon B. Hinckley - Georgette - ancestors - Rob's ancestors - Mormon pioneers - Founding Fathers 5. Write 10 things about nature you are grateful for. - The view outside my window - the colors of Fall - Springtime, when all the world turns a bright green - rain (yes, rain. but not snow) - no natural disasters - the trees because my son likes to look at them - beauty of Hawaii - Provo Canyon - summer - the Food Chain 6. Write 10 things about today you are grateful for. - time spent serving at Deseret Industries - my husband be willing and capable to be with the baby while I was gone - finding a pair of socks in the dryer because my feet were freezing but a baby was asleep in my room (even though they were Rob's socks) - spending time with Alicia at Costco - Costco samples - husband putting the duvet cover back on (I hate that job) - my baby sleeping in my arms - taking care of Xander - the ability to buy the things we need and even things we just want - the holiday season! 7. Write 10 places on earth you are grateful for. - my home - the temple - Silverdale, our little "get-away" - my parent's home - Provo, Utah - the Pacific Northwest - my bed - Group Health/hospital (strange, but I really am grateful for them) - my walk-in closet - my ward (is that a place?) 8. Write 10 modern inventions you are grateful for. - the www. - my phone - my husband's phone - pinterest - skype - plumbing - baby swing - IVF (is that an "invention?") - cars - blu-ray streaming 9. Write 10 foods you are grateful for life experiences you are grateful for. (that was a strange category, so I changed it.) - meeting and marrying Rob - struggling to have a baby - having a baby - my mission in Pittsburgh, PA - teaching English in Russia - attending BYU - attending UW - attending Rick's College - being a member of the 191st ward - watching all my siblings get sealed to their spouses 10. Write 10 things about the gospel you are grateful for. - the Atonement - my testimony - temple covenants - modern revelation - personal revelation - a living prophet - the scriptures - missions - eternal families - repentance Happy (belated) Thanksgiving from our family to yours!