Litter On a Stick

We flew into Portland, OR last night and it is as beautiful as I remember it. We had an almost perfect day in the city.
We took the light rail downtown and we loved watching the trees, cute houses and of course, the river zoom by. One thing that was so great is the lack of billboards. I love Salt Lake City, many of you know that, but I hate all the ads that jump out and wrench your attention away from the towering mountains. The slogans, products and screaming deals inundate the valley. Portland had some ads on buildings but nothing to pollute the landscape. Love! Be gone litter on a stick! May you plague our city-scape no more!!
We went to the Wednesday farmers market where we ate golden raspberries, blackberries, artichoke tamales, and sampled EVERYTHING from fruit to flowers and carrots to cucumbers. Mmmmmmmm. I was so happy I could have died. To be honest, the ONLY thing I wanted to do in Oregon was eat food (lots of it) at a fresh farmers market. This was the best one I have been to in years. My taste buds are still dancing in blissful glee! I don't know anything better than having so many fresh berries that you get sick of eating them before they run out.
We stumbled upon a concert at PSU and enjoyed some good ol' outdoor rock and roll. It was really fun. I haven't been to a concert in, well, over two years, and it was about time I heard some screaming and drums. . .even if it was in the afternoon with stroller in tow.
We walked all over the downtown area and found the most hilarious bakery. Voodoo Donuts is irreverent, creative and also a wedding chapel. You can get married in the 5'x5' entry way under a plaster donut of the same dimensions while eating a maple frosted raised donut topped with bacon. I opted not to test the culinary creations of Voodoo and not just because I have a rule not to eat baked goods from any place that also sells thong underwear. We had set out for a treat and I had something more refined in mind than the Grape Ape or Oreo PB and J donut. Maybe tomorrow we can raise the culinary bar but certainly the creative and eclectic record has been set. It was awesome.
We made it back to the square in time for a free blues concert that was spectacular. The most amazing female blues pickin' guitar I have ever heard and a sax. Their songs were funny, heart-warming and so jolly I wanted to stand up and clap and stomp my feet with several other lookers-on but I was bound to my rocker. That's right, my rocking chair. They had a row of wooden rocking chairs in the back. They were all painted funky colors and patterns and I was lucky to snag one. Lily loved to "rock a baby" with Mama and listen to the music.
We are beat but we can't wait until tomorrow. Ahhhhhhh Portland, we love you!

Mucho pictures to come. . .maybe when we get home. . .I can't find the cord!!!

Pink Pua GIVEAWAY

This is Lily's favorite 'pose'. Eyes closed.


Yes, I have more to blog about than sewing, but it will have to wait. I have inundated myself with projects and am really loving it. I have been choosing projects that require a certain skill that i want to learn. The kimono was my 'make-my-own-bias-tape" project.
This pretty, pleated dress is my own design. I wanted to learn how to make pleats. It turned out to be much easier than I had imagined. I think it turned out really cute. Lily has plenty of dresses and this one will probably be too small in about 2 weeks so I am offering it up to anyone who wants it.
This dress ties on both shoulders and in the back. It fits Lily like a glove so I think it is probably a 12-18 month size. Lily is pretty thin and has no behind whatsoever.
Let me know what you think, and if you want it! You have until August 26 to enter!

Alphabet Soup Kimono GIVE-AWAY

I frequent the site Grosgrain Fabulous (linked under 'escapes' on my blog) because of her awesome clothes, photography and darn cute kids. She does give-aways which I think are so awesome. Although I don't even pretend in my own mind to be as clever or talented as she is, I thought I would do a give-away of my own.
The Olympics have given me (nay forced me, dang you Michael Phelps!) to pushing my bed-time later and later. The upside? I have been doing a lot of sewing. Today's give-away is for this alphabet soup kimono. It is a little big on my Lily so it is a 2T, we will say. I downloaded the free pattern at habitual.wordpress.com (I don't know how to do the fancy linky things).

Anyway, if you want this, you got it. All you have to do is comment and say you want in. I will do a highly un-biased drawing of the entrants and then send it off to you! You can comment without entering if you don't want to win this frock, just don't mention that you want in on the contest.

I will conduct my drawing on Monday night (August 18th) so you have a few days.

I think it could work for a girl or a boy. There are pictures of Lily modeling the kimono in the previous post. She only wore it for the pictures. . .it is new for you!

Good Luck! If this is a hit, maybe i will do more.

ABC's of Lily

When Lily was wee I wrote in her baby book daily. Yes, daily. Every sputter, every gurgle, every flinch of the eyebrow is meticulously detailed in a darling polka-dot book given to me at a baby shower. The other day I had a panic attack. It has been MONTHS since I have written anything in her book and she can actually do stuff now! Then I calmed down when I remembered that I had (dun dun dun DUUUUUNNNNNN) THE BLOG! I don't know why I didn't think about it before. I do document! I can remember! The polka-dots are cute, yes, but highly impractical. I can type much faster!! Either way, it is high time I updated about my Lily Love. I do have to say that there is something very intimate and special about handwritten memoirs or letters. It is a lost art, I am afraid. Because of this I will continue to write in her book, and the 'mother's journal' I have. I think it is special to have something written in your mothers, or other loved one's hand. I think, though, I will be more consistent if I allow myself the freedom of both mediums. Today, it is electronic.

Lily is 22 and half months old.
In the recent past she would answer in the affirmative by a resounding 'yes' or 'yes, mama'. Lately, however, she has become more casual. "would you like to go to the park, Lily?" "Yep!"
Lily's favorite color is yellow. She knows all of her colors and loves to shout them out at the store, the park, the library and at church. She may choose, for example, to identify the color of shirt that everyone in a room is wearing. She will shout each color with enthusiasm to the result of much praise by her mother. If, however, someone is wearing a yellow shirt, she will say "ME yellow. ME yellow", as if that shirt (or shoe or flower or car, whatever) is hers, because it is yellow, and that person is merely borrowing it.
Speaking of borrowing: Lily does not understand borrowing. Never was a toddler, to my knowledge, as astute to ownership. When my sister's were here, or when I was in Utah, if either Alyssa or Tori wore an article of my clothing they would be met with much disapproval from Lily. "NO! MAMA SHIRT!" "MAMA HAT!! NOOOOOO!" This was particularly inconvenient at church when Tori wore my shirt. With no consolation (besides the removal of my shirt) adequate, Tori was forced to sit directly behind Lily both in route to and during church services. Out of sight, out of mind. Alyssa, while she was here, borrowed some pajama bottoms from me. After Alyssa left, I wore them and was met with similar rebuttal: NO! SAA-SAA's! Saa-Saa = Alyssa.
And while we are on the note of Lily-isms, here are a few choice ones:

Papa/Mimi (Grandpa and Grammie)

Numa-num (Kitty) She can say cat, kitty, and meow but has retained this name from her early pronunciation of 'meow'

Bok-bok (Chicken)

Masiday (Medicine)

Basiday (Vitamin)

Sabiday (Strawberry)

Das Elmo Weeeee! (That's Elmo's world. . .said/sung/screamed at all times, often in her sleep)

Mama get it (Mama get it)

Sub-a-dub (I have no idea, but she says this all the time)

Here go (here you go)

Nack! (snack)

Class (nursery)

Sody Wa-Wa (Perrier)

Ow-wah (That hurt!)

Yidy Tee (Lily's turn)

I Loda You (I love you)

Bar Bar (Barbie)

Doh-dee (donut)

Dippy (diaper)

Mama (Mama or Lamby. . .context counts!)

Of course she says many other things, she is talking quite a bit, and many things are more clear than the above, but those silly mixed up words are the ones that make me laugh!


Lily loves to sing songs. Her favorites are ABC's, Barney's I love you song, Elmo's song (it sounds like she watches a lot of TV but she doesn't, we just sing the songs a lot!), wheels on the bus, running around in circles (thank you, Janine Brady), and popcorn popping. She loves to do the actions and is actually quite coordinated. While my sister, Tori, was here she was choreographing a dance to teach my Young Women and Lily would copy the moves, it was hilarious. The other night I was watching women's gymnastics (can I tell you how much I am loving the Olympics, and hating how tired I am from watching them!) and Lily was trying very hard to mimic the moves. She was considerably better at the pirouette than the arabian double front.

Lily is learning to count. She can count to 11 but usually starts at 6 unless you start her off. She can often be heard saying to herself: "6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 yeah! 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 yeah!" why she starts at 6 and ends at 11 is beyond me.

Lily know many letters and loves pointing them out at the store and telling me what name starts with that letter. I think my favorite is when she brought me the 'K' magnet a few weeks ago and said "Numa-num". Refer to the Lily-isms to see if you can figure out why.

Lily is very interested in doctors. This all started around the time I had the mysterious mass. I went to the dr. a lot and I often took her. When we pulled off the ferry into Honolulu and were driving downtown Lily said "mama doctor?" and kept repeating it. I couldn't figure it out. Then it hit me. My doctor is in one of three high-rise buildings on Maui, in Wailuku (the other two are across the street). In Honolulu, there were hundreds. I really think she thought Big Building=Mama's Doctor. I thought that was a clever deduction!
Lily is also very into doctor books. She has several and we read them OFTEN. If you ever want me to recite, from memory, any of these books, I can. I used to be able to synthesize banana oil from common household items but now? Now, I can recite "Elmo Goes to the Doctor" in its entirety.
Lily will conform to ANYTHING if it is what the doctor said. Example: no food/milk after brush teeth. This used to be a HUGE problem, mostly exacerbated by my lack of consistency. One day, after a recent doctor visit, I said "no, honey, doctor said no milk at night" that was it. Water was fine. She will even ask for a cup of water now instead of milk and say "doctor no-no milk". Same with being the car seat, crossing the street or several others cases in which I have used the good doctor's authority at will. She will even refer to her doctor by name. "Doctor Baum" it is pretty cute.
She loves bandaids, so long as they are positioned symmetrically on her limbs. Lily LOVES medicine. She loves the idea of medicine, it doesn't even have to be her taking it. She loves to watch me swallow pills. I am going to take this as her having a predisposition to the medical field and not the other thing that comes to mind.

Lily loves friends.

Lily does not like:

mashed potatoes, applesauce, leaving her friends' house, mommy leaving her at nursery, wearing shoes, soup, anything pureed, going to time-out.

I cannot believe that she is almost two. I really can't. She even told me today that she was 'a big girl'. I think she learned that from Kalena! She really is a big girl. Now if can just get her out of dippies.

I MISS YOU GIRLS

Aloha to my sistahs. Love those girls. Even when they drive me half crazy. They are fun, beautiful and generous. Lily really misses you gals. So do I.

Sisters in Oahu

My sisters happened to be in Hawaii during our ward's youth temple trip. They came along and it was amazing. Alyssa took care of Lily while we were in the temple with the youth and Tori was able to do some baptisms for some family file names we had prepared ahead of time. It was such a great experience to be in the temple and walking the grounds. It is really one of those things you don't realize how much you miss until you go and then it is incredibly thirst quenching.
Lily loved the temple. She has been drawing (scribbling) pictures lately and handing them to me saying "temple! temple!" it is really darling.

Sisters in Hana

One of the first things we did with both sisters here is go camping in Hana. It was wet and full of bugs, Lily threw up in the car and Tori complained the whole time, but I think aside from that, we all had a good time.


First stop: the bamboo hike. cliff jumping, bamboo forest, oh, and huge limb-claiming mosquitoes.

Now THIS is cliff jumping. In Hana some locals were jumping off of this. . .precipice. It was huge. At least 50 feet. The best part is that it is not accessible by foot. You have jump off a much smaller cliff into rough waters and swim to this small, super tall, island and climb up it's rocky, volcanic face. The girl here is not jumping off of the highest point. The thing was so tall it was impossible to capture the tippy top and the ocean below in the same frame. It was amazing.

We took a lot of stuff. Too much stuff.

Sisters Sisters

I have been in full vacation mode ever since I returned from, well, my vacation. My sister, Alyssa (19) flew back with me (thank goodness. . .I needed the help on the plane) and stayed for three weeks. A week and a half after Alyssa and I got back to Maui, Tori (17) came out and stayed for three weeks. In case you are confused, let me sum it up:

1.5 weeks with Alyssa
1.5 weeks with Alyssa and Tori
1.5 weeks with Tori

I AM EXHAUSTED!!!!!

We had so much fun. Too much fun. I loved playing tourist and bonding with my silly sisters.
Alyssa's stay started out a little rough. On her first day, we went to the beach and Alyssa was stung by a jelly fish, Lily was stung by a bee and it rained. The next day she had to battle the biggest cockroach in history.
I love my sisters. They are both so different and it was fun to get to know them better and show them by digs. Although it was one of the most fun summers I have ever had, I am truly exhausted. If you are doing anything fun, don't invite me. I am out for at least the next two weeks. Then, I have a new adventure planned. . .can't wait to see you Bev and Claudia!