TUTUS! LilLadies.etsy.com

I don't know why it's so hard for me to keep up on my blog...and I also don't know why I don't just give it up! By now I'm sure I don't have any readers left! But I do want to mention that I've picked up a new hobby and I'm trying to turn it into something a little profitable.
I'm selling tutus on etsy. If you're curious....LilLadies.etsy.com
I'm just starting out so my website is far from fancy...much like my blog is far from fancy - (definitely time for a makeover)!
Also, friends & fam get a discount (I think my prices are really good anyway - compare with other sellers on etsy...just don't look too closely at how perfect their pictures are...does anyone know a free photographer and a couple of more willing tutu models?! Avilyn does her best, but mostly she wants to look into the camera and see herself).
Don't forget Halloween is coming up - I've got a really cute "Party Witch" tutu...which I have yet to photograph :)

Not always as willing
and wanting to see herself in the camera :)

Happy Easter

I love Easter! We had egg hunts (I was disappointed when Avi didn't want to gather any eggs the Easter bunny left), yummy food, and fun time with family! I made German pancakes (not like my mom's crepe ones, but the kind you bake) in the morning with homemade syrup - I think this will be a new tradition. Then while we listened to conference we decorated our boiled eggs - Avi's idea for this activity was to throw the eggs into the dye and to sip the dye from the egg dipper.
Then, to my aunt Karen's house for ham & potato salad with cousins. It was Avi's first time sitting at the "big kid" table (might I add, on the opposite side from where mom & dad were sitting). I was quite proud of my "baby" and she's really been enjoying her independence. My cousin's little daughter, Teyah, sitting at the table asked Avi her name...Avi gibberished back like they were having a conversation!
We finished the day off with Porter's family and then a short visit to my Grandma Andrews - who just turned 94! Here are a couple pictures from our day!

2010 To Do List

I've been thinking about what goals I want to have for this year. When I was brainstorming I filled a whole page with ideas, but I was able to narrow it down to just a "few". My plan is to review & blog at the end of the year on how I did. I'm calling it my 2010 To Do List:

*2 triathlons (sprint or whatever)
*4 20+miles family bike rides (we went on one last year & it was a blast!)
*Learn to quilt
*Scrapbook all my photo's until Avi was born - I'm almost done with high school photo's so it's not impossible.
*Weekly personal journal - mine, Avi's, Porter's (not that I plan on writing in his journal, but if I did...it would count :), blog, or even scrapbooking counts.
*Family History - my new calling is a family history consultant, so I want to understand my own history & what needs to be done. Included in this goal is to sit down 1 - 2 x's a week for extractions. I did my first one last week.
*Bear my testimony at church 1 time - might sound like a silly goal, but I can go years without doing it, so I thought it would be appropriate.
*Temple 6 times - I should have a monthly goal, right?...well 6 times would be an improvement from last year so I thought I'd start there.
*Learn to play 3 primary songs - Porter once made me a piano chart where I could get stickers for practicing & prizes for stickers...I never got one sticker.
*Back flip on skis
*Tumbling goal - okay, this might sound ridiculous: front handspring front punch step-out round off back handspring full layout. Since the soccer arena in Logan closed down I've taken up tumbling. I took when I was younger too, but my body is not the same!

Last, but not least...

*Beat Porter in Dr. Mario on Level 20 - no one's ever done it ;) He's a sport about this goal and has given me tips on how I can improve! Haha...Now I have an excuse to waste time playing nintendo!

Well, as long as I still have a blog in December & I don't forget about my goals (which I won't...I'm taking it pretty seriously ;) then I'll let everyone know how I did at the end of the year!

Happy Graduation!

Just wanted to say I'm so proud of Porter! He graduated with his bachelors on Saturday! He's been such a hard worker...juggling everything in his life. He'll apply for grad school in January and by next August we should be starting the next chapter in our lives. So...that gives us 8 months of NO SCHOOL! Here's my plan for the next 8 months - I'm sure Porter's would be quite similar...

1. ski
2. play nintendo
3. vacations

"No More Sunshine"

I never liked milk until I was pregnant...than I grew to love it. I started buying vitamin D/whole milk when Avi had to drink it. She wasn't able to finish her gallons so I took the responsibility :)
A friend told me that her vitamin D count was extremely low even though she had been taking a supplement (they checked her for it at a skin appointment). She's struggled a bit with depression so we laughed since a lack of vitamin D is linked to moods & depression. For some reason is was funny that it was possible her sadness in the past simply could have been a deficiency in vit D.

Vit D is also one of the benefits from sunshine. There's a mood disorder called SAD (seasonal affective disorder) where someone who feels "normal" throughout most the year feels more sad in the winter...aka..."winter blues".

So not being very nutritionally educated I was so happy to have a reason to drink my creamy milk. Being called vitamin D milk I thought it was rich with it & I started calling it my sunshine. I literally imagined I was swallowing sunshine when I drank it - and I grew quite attached.

Well I picked up a nutritional pamphlet from the health department the other day... It told me, "So if you choose fat free or lowfat milk you'll still receive all the nutrients of whole milk....the only difference you'll find is the fat and calories."

Fat free milk = 80 calories & 0 grams fat
Vit D/Whole = 150 calories & 8 grams fat

I'm not gonna lie...I don't count calories & I don't even know if 150 is a lot, but it totally burst my bubble. I was telling Porter my unhappy findings...his reply to me was, "No more sunshine." He sounded truly sorry for me.

Thanksgiving

I'm determined not to let 3 months go by without updating my blog - otherwise it's hardly worth having one. In light of Thanksgiving I thought I'd list a few things I'm especially thankful for:

1. Friends - we've been so lucky to keep such good friends as our lives have transitioned. We've even made some really awesome new friends!
2. Family - I will always be grateful for mine & Porter's parents/siblings. They do so much for us & nothing is better than spending time with them. We've been especially lucky to spend time with some of our extended family too. We both feel like we have the coolest aunts, uncles, & cousins...and we both do :)
3. Porter & Avi - without them I wouldn't have much. They mean everything to me.

We feel extremely blessed. Sorry, no pictures, forgot our camera over Thanksgiving!

worst blogger ever

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm terrible at blogging...yet I can't just bag it. Before the last update it had been 2 months...now it's 3...I'm not sure I'm going to improve. Anyway, pictures do a great job of updating everyone on our family life so I'll let them do most the talking :)
The biggest milestone we've reached "lately" (Sept 3rd) was Avilyn's big #1 Birthday. We had a weiner dog party. We roasted hot dogs up the canyon & had so much family/friend support. I was real proud of the cake. Avi would growl at it every time she saw it.

ps. Model for the cake was "Lois the weiner dog"...Avi's best friend. The cake did have legs - I took the picture before I remembered them :)

We had a small party at home on her b-day since her big party was a few days earlier. She was scared of the hat, but she loved her presents!

Moulton fam reunion where my grandparents had all their posterity except I believe my cousins husband. We're all really close so it was fun to be together. Below is Avi with her immediate cousins...16 grandkids for my parents... so far!

Ellie & Avi = pals

Did a little camping in southern Utah...sadly without Porter who had to work.

One of the 1st days in our new apartment...also Avi's first sucker, which was supposed to be a taste, but she freaked out when I took it away...I gave in :)

Porter's "last" rugby game. He graduates in Dec. but he's paid the fee for all year so he's hoping to play spring ball too. By the way...Porter is the star of his team ;)

Halloween is always a blast! It's my 2nd favorite holiday. We had a friend's party on the 30th & then my cousin had his wedding reception the 31st...it was "wicked" awesome!
Porter as "Space Ghost"

Avi as "mommy's little witch"

My cousin, Daren, & his new wife Noel - celebrating "the death of single life"

I had a very happy 25th birthday!

Weekend in Boise with friends. We left Avi for 2 nights which were my 1st nights away from her. This pic is of Wil... we hardly took any pictures all weekend so I don't have any group pics. We kept busy...Eliza & Wil ran a 1/2 marathon, Porter had a rugby game & it was Lauren's
b-day /Wood's anniversary. We had a blast!

&
Last but not least is just a picture from Avi's everyday life... she organizes all day long.

Well now I remember why I don't blog...that took me over an hour...of course it is a long post with lots of pictures & it takes me too long to organize it all. But hopefully anyone who cares feels updated by my summary :)