26 weeks

Before Gray and I headed out this morning with the kiddos I had him quickly take some maternity shots of me before we left...my hair was clean and I had some makeup on so I thought I should take advantage of that. Haha! (I am soooo the typical mom...it hits me now and then that I can't remember the last time I showered...lovely.) I just have to say that out of the 50+ pictures he took, these were the only ones I could bear to look at. I hide from the camera when I'm pregnant and typically only take pictures like these, just to have some proof of my baby bump! So here you go...maternity shots at 26 weeks preggy. And yes, my face is looking down in every one because I couldn't stand the ones of me looking at the camera! Oh, how I love being pregnant! I suppose I'll take some more near the end when I'm REALLY big...you gotta have those ones!








All joking and self-bashing aside, I really AM happy to be pregnant. The "female-ness" in me just takes over when I see pictures of myself, but I am really enjoying my bump and knowing that my baby girl is in there. It truly is amazing what the body can do and I love feeling her kick (she does that ALOT!) and hearing her little heartbeat. (I have one of these.) So amazing. It is starting to become a reality that we are having another one...we've been wondering who she's going to look like, what color her hair is going to be. It's crazy to think that people do this all the time...it's such a miracle and such a long process, I can't believe that some people have 5, 8, 10 kids!!! What the freak.



Anyways, I am blabbing. Maybe you'll see some more pictures of me in 3 months...until then, I think I'll stick with Payton and Gabbs!



Tal:)

and this year's ornaments...

Keeping it simple, as always. When the picture is cute, you don't need much else! (chandelier crystal: Heidi Swapp, red tinsel: Making Memories)



I can't believe how this week has flown by. Gabby's been sick with a cold, fever and ear infection, so that's been keeping me busy. It's hard when one kid is sick and the other one isn't...I've had to drag Gabby all over the place this week as we've been taking Payton to playschool and dancing, but she's been a trooper. She's such a good little girl when she's sick! Just mellow and goes with the flow. Poor baby. Please please PLEASE let this be the last of the "sickness" before Christmas. Aarrggh! It's never ending.



I am tired. At almost 26 weeks, I am starting to feel really pregnant. Just getting bigger and more uncomfortable and stinkin' tired. Just thinking about getting the kids in and out of the car makes me want to take a nap. Graham has noticed how exhausted I've been and booked me a massage here tomorrow afternoon. I seriously cannot wait. Thanks, sweetie!!! You are the best.



Tal xoxo

somthin' simple

If you want to make some simple decorations but don't want it to be too involved or messy, then here's your project! I picked up these cutie-cute mini Jenni Bowlin cards a few weeks ago at the scrapbook store and knew exactly what I was going to do with them. Just punch a hole in the top, and tie some ribbon through. So easy! (The ribbon is Martha Stewart.)







I was looking at my to-do list from my last post and I've done pretty well. I finished decorating my house on Wednesday (?) night so that was nice. I can't believe how many Christmas decorations I've collected over the years. I didn't pull it all out this year, it just felt too overwhelming for some reason, but even so, we have a lot of decorations up! And Graham and I went out last night and finished most of our Christmas shopping so that's a relief. There's something about knowing that I don't need to brave the stores before Christmas that's very satisfying. Whew! And on the to-do list for today...work on Christmas cards and go to our Christmas party at the church tonight. That will be fun. December is so jam-packed, but in a good way. This year has been fun because both of my kids know what's going on and they're just so excited about Christmas. We've been watching all the classic Christmas movies (I love my PVR!) so that's been getting us in the spirit. And yesterday we went to my mom's church and saw all of the nativity displays that they set up every year...it was so nice! Gabby loved pointing out all of the Baby Jesus' and it was just a perfect Christmas activity. Busy, busy, busy times I tell ya.



Anyways, off to work on Christmas cards. Have a great weekend!



Talia:)

winter wonderland

So another crazy weekend is behind me, thank goodness. On Friday night we had our Christmas dinner for all the women at church that I was in charge of, and I am so glad it's over! It went really really well, and so many people helped out, so it was great. Our theme was "The True Spirit of Christmas" and it was just a nice way to bring in the Christmas season and be reminded of what Christmas is really about.


(here are a couple pictures, sorry for the crappy quality! they really don't do the decorations justice!)







And then on Saturday night Payton danced at the Festival of Trees. Remember this from last year? Well lucky for me we didn't have a repeat of that incident, everything went off without a hitch. She looked so darn cute in her costume and did an awesome job. It's crazy to see how far she's come in just a year...I can't believe she's almost 4!





(The video is a bit long, I just put it here for grandma's and auntie's that weren't there! Also, sorry for the crappy video-ing...I was trying to watch her and video at the same time...didn't do so well. Ha ha! Ah, well...it's the memory that counts.)


Now that this weekend is over I just want to start focusing on Christmas stuff with my family. On my to-do list this week:

-finish Christmas shopping (or at least attempt to!)
-bake a little bit
-finish putting up my Christmas decorations
-work on Christmas cards
-watch some fun Christmas movies with my kids



I can't believe it is already December. It feels weird this year because we've had no snow and warm weather. I could deal with a teeny bit of snow, just to make it feel Christmasy. But that's it. Just a teeny bit.



Oh, and in case you're in need of some Christmas inspiration, check out the 12 Days of Christmas from the Goodie Box last year. There's some cute stuff to get you in the Christmas spirit!



Hope everyone has a great week.



Tal:)

christmas stuff and "twilight" review...

Just some Christmas stuff I've been wanting to share.



These advent boxes inspired by Ali Edwards:




I actually made these last year, but I didn't finish them up in time for December. So I was excited to pull them out this year, and I decided to pin them all to a bulletin board so I won't have to put any holes in my wall. I'm so excited for the girls to get a little treat everyday till Christmas. I also put a little Christmas "prompt" in each box...just fun stuff for us to do to really make the most of the season. Some of the prompts are simple like "cuddle under a blanket and a look at the lights on the tree" and some are activities like, "bake cookies and deliver them to someone special." So it should be fun!




The next thing I wanted to share is one of my favorite things on our Christmas tree...my picture ornaments. Every year since Graham and I have been married I've made a picture ornament for our tree, and they're so much fun! I love to see how we've changed from year to year and I can't wait to one day have a whole tree of just our handmade picture ornaments. A fun tradition that you can start anytime! Either start with this year, or collect pictures from Christmases past and make a bunch at once. So cute. Here are ours from 2001 to 2007:














And last, a few of my Christmas cards I made on the weekend. I promised myself that my cards had to made from supplies that I already have on hand...from the envelopes to the paper to the embellishments. It felt so good to whip out 20 cards with stuff from my Christmas stash and know that it cost me zero $$$. And who cares if they're not all exactly the same? That's what makes them fun. (Also, I was brain-dead for ideas so I scrap-lifted my own card from the Goodie Box last year.)







And now on to my "Twilight" review...



So I went to the movie last night with my sister and some girlfriends and I have to say it was alot of fun. The movie itself was pretty good....some scenes and characters were bang on while other parts were cheesy, but we just laughed so hard, in a good way. It was fun to see the book come to life, but I don't think if you've read the books you would necessarily enjoy the movie. Part of what made the movie fun was being so familiar with the story and characters, and really, you just have to take it for what it is. It really wasn't a big-budget film at all...hopefully for the next movies they'll have way more money to make them better, but as for Edward and Bella, they were awesome. We were sitting in front of some teenage girls and they were HILLARIOUS. Everytime Edward and Bella kissed (or got near eachother) they almost lost it, and they just squealed and giggled the whole time. It was so funny. Oh, to be a teenager again...ha,ha! So that's my review...just go with the attitude of take it for what it is and have fun.



My kids have officially destroyed my house so it's time for me to attempt to clean. Ugh.



Tal:)

oh, bloggy blog...

Everyday I have blogging on my to-do list, and everyday comes and goes and my poor blog has been neglected. November has been such a busy month. Honestly, December won't be as busy for me as November has been, and December is supposed to be the busiest time of the year! I've been so busy with my calling in the Relief Society...we've had Christmas activities going on all month, and our big dinner and program is this Friday...after that, I will be able to breathe.



I actually managed to get out and get some Christmas shopping done on the weekend, so that was nice. It was already crazy busy with shoppers...I'm reminding myself not to go out again on a Saturday...I'll have to pawn my kids off on my mom one weekday and just plow through the rest on my list. Thanks, mama! (wink...as if she doesn't do enough for me already!)



Anyways, we've also been busy with re-painting and re-carpeting upstairs...and don't worry, Payton has already puked on the carpet and Gabby's already peed on it (that's another story!). We're breakin' it in early. Oy. Oh, and we put up our tree on Sunday night, and I even managed to make some Christmas cards this weekend, too. AAAaaahh! Like I said, busy-ness. And this week is still jam-packed. I'm just waiting for December to come!



Okay, I'm off to see "Twilight" tonight with my sis, Janna and Sanna-Miina. Yay!



Tal xo

a mini album...

Just thought I'd share the mini album class that Kim and I taught at The Urban Scrapbook this weekend. You can see the whole album here!



Tal xo

merry christmas

So last night I couldn't sleep (as usual), so I went downstairs to the kitchen to get something eat and I looked outside to see lots and lots of fluffy snow falling on the ground. It was so pretty and quiet...winter is here! Which means that Christmas is coming soon. (eek)






I thought I'd share this banner that I made for a class that I taught at my church on Saturday. This is one of the only projects I've done in the last few months...and it's making me want to do more! If only I had more time. Anyways, here are some closeups:















Really, you can't go wrong with a banner, right? We all know how much I love them! The ladies in my class were lots of fun, it was just very laid-back and casual and we listened to Christmas music, too. I love this time of year. Only I'm stressed because it's almost the middle of November and I told myself that I wanted to get ALL of my Christmas shopping done this month (ya, right), and I've barely started. We'll see how that goes!



And in regards to my last post, I spoke too soon about getting better! I've totally lost my voice and have been struggling with a cold since Thursday-ish...oh, man. It's been one thing after another. Luckily my kids have somehow escaped the cold and have been fine, so it's just me. Pregnancy is so much fun!



So if it's snowing where you are, why not take a little bit of time and make your own Christmas banner. Perfect for gifts or perfect for you. Here are some simple instructions:


1. Cut various patterned papers into circles and squares, measuring no larger than 5.5"x5.5".
2. Distress edges.
3. Mount pieces on chipboard with a gluestick.
4. Embellish pieces with jewels, stamps, glitter, and letters, spelling whatever you desire!
5. Punch holes in pieces using a crop-a-dile or hole punch.
6. Attach pieces with zipties and/or ribbon.
7. Tie ribbon on end pieces and you're done!


Have fun!!



Tal:)

(P.S. Thanks for all of the sweet comments on my last post! We are very very excited to be having another girl, even Payton is adjusting to the idea. hehe. Life is good.)

we're having a...

...GIRL!!!



No surprises here...I guess that's just what Graham and I make best. Haha! This has been a very eventful week(ish). Halloween came and went and was lots of fun. The girls had fun trick or treating and I even went with them this year. Gabby was hillairious...very overwhelmed, but once she figured out that she was getting candy, she was all good.



Then we went for my ultrasound on Monday...I was very excited and when it came down to it, I was just assuming that it was a girl...so was daddy. So we just laughed when the tech told us that "they're never 100% positive, but it looks like a girl". Of course it's a girl, what else would it be? It was awesome to see her little body and her heart beating...to know that this is all for real, that there IS a baby in there. When we got home and told the girls that they would be getting a baby sister Payton started crying and said "but I want a baby brother!!". She's been wanting a boy from the get-go, so we've been talkin' up girls big time...I'm sure she'll get used to the idea. (wink) I know I'm excited for another little princess.



Anyways, I hadn't been feeling well all weekend and when I got home from my ultrasound things just went downhill. Payton was asleep by 5pm 'cause she wasn't feeling well, Graham wasn't feeling well, and then the puking started. To make a long and yucky story short, I had my mom take me to the hospital after midnight 'cause I was so sick and totally dehydrated. They gave me fluids and gravol by IV and today was the first time I was able to get out of bed. So it's been a yucky couple days, and thank goodness for my parents and sister who took care of the girls for us. Being sick sucks!!! I'm hoping I'm on the mend and that the flu has come and gone for this little family for the rest of the year.



Hope it doesn't hit you all the way it hit us. Be back soon.



:)

too cute to spook!

We hope you have a spooky and fun Halloween!!!



Love,
Talia, Tinkerbell and Wendy xo

it's not too late...

...to whip up some Halloween stuff. I made these cookies using this recipe from Martha Stewart. So easy and yummy. Payton and I made these from start to finish in about 45 min and I even tripled the recipe. (it only makes about 12 cookies, so if you're wanting to give some away then you'll want to double or triple it for sure!)





And a 30 second card. Literally. Folded a piece of scrap paper in half, stuck on a cute sticker, word and decorative tape. Done.




Things have to be simple for me lately if they're going to get crossed off my list. I'm trying to do fun things with my kids without putting too much pressure on myself...then I just get overwhelmed. Simple is better, right? The rest of this week will be fun. Tomorrow Payton has her Halloween party at dancing and then we're carving pumpkins tomorrow night. I can't wait to see Gabby in the gooey pumpkin guts...scary! She'll love it, I'm sure.



Just wanted to pop by to share my simple Halloween ideas. Drop someone off a spooky card and plate of treats...it'll make their day, and it's fun, too!



Tal:)



P.S. Kim and I are teaching a class at the Urban Scrapbook on Saturday, Nov 15th. Head on over to their website for details. Spots are limited!

scrapbook stuff

It has been sooooo long since I've shared any scrapbooking projects, so I updated my scrapbook album for anyone who wants to take a look. These are all layouts that I've done over the last few months and just haven't had a chance to share.




Enjoy!



Talia:)