gymastics!

daphne and i started a mom/tot gymnastics class last week. at first she was a little scared and wouldn't leave my arms. But, that only lasted a few minutes (maybe she just didn't want to stretch?) and then she had a lot of fun running around on tramp, jumping into the foam pit (even the big one which was REALLY hard to get her out of) she didn't do everything her coach was wanting the class to do, but she'll get the hang of it. here she is ready for gymnastics! [and she's currently obsessed with having ALL her binkies with her. oh my]

3rd anniversary trip!

Nic planned a perfect weekend to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. He took me somewhere i've always wanted to go- YELLOWSTONE! It's only 90 minutes away and it's kind of heart breaking we've never been before (together- nic went as a kid, and i've never been) and since this is our last summer here- we'll have to go back at least a couple of times before we move in december!

Nic had planned everything perfectly so we had a great time. He had a field trip on Saturday till 5 pm (and i was hanging out with one of my best friends from CO, Sarah, who was in town with darling emmry who daph loved) so we left saturday night and camped in west yellowstone. at first we were surprised when our campsite didn't have a fire pit but they had bbq's to use and it worked out great- we didn't reek of campfire all weekend! [plus they had the NICEST bathrooms and showers]

on Sunday we went into the park and it was AMAZING! If you've never been, you HAVE to see it at least once in your life, it really is incredible. Thanks for the perfect weekend anniversary trip, Nicholas, I LOVED it!!! now, here are a million pics. enjoy!

daph loves camping because camping= rocks.

paint pots. so amazing.

afro!

a very windy family pic!

old faithful! we timed it just perfect- went to lunch @ the old faithful inn (most delicious black bean burger) then only waited about 5 minutes before it erupted! it was great.

do you see daph's teeny tiny little squirrel friend? so cute!



Norris hot springs


we mostly saw a lot of bison (a couple crossed right in front of our car!) but we also saw a coyote (who was hunting something, so that was cool), a deer, a marmot, a ground squirrel & a snake.

the view from mammoth. kind of pretty, right?


my two loves. cutest humans ever.

such a perfect way to celebrate 3 great years!

a is for apple

we're working on a new project involving:

apples, zebras, nests, dogs, mustaches and queens
the largest furniture store in colorado
my brother mark
every neighborhood in denver
scanned craft paper
telephone negotiations
canvases
illustrator
gmail


here is a little preview:



plus, here is a cute picture of daph eating an apple. we REALLY need to take more pics of her, i've been majorly slacking on that lately.

3 years.

engagement pic 2007

tomorrow is our THREE year anniversary!
what a great way to spend 3 years.

we've lived in 5 apartments.
we've had one baby.
we've started one business (and lots of other little business ventures)
we've earned 1 bachelor degree and are 90% done with another (december!)
we've traveled to california, colorado & utah (unless i'm forgetting something.. that doesn't seem like very many places :)
we've taught primary and been librarians.
we've tried new things.
we've bought 2 cars (and sold one)
we've bought 3 cameras (and sold one) and 4 computers (sold 2)
we've fallen in love with daphne.
we've endured gall bladder attacks, potty training (fail), car repairs, and just a few disagreements :)
we've designed wedding invites for about 400 brides.
we've taken a million pictures.
we've felt rich and felt poor.
we've made big life decisions together.
we've eaten out way too many times.
we've bought art, created it and found new things we're passionate about.
we're still best friends.

nic and i have been together now for 6 years and married for 3.
i couldn't be happier.

wedding day. june 22, 2007 SLC temple.

1st anniversary galleria park hotel, san francisco 2008
[13 weeks pregnant :)]




2nd anniversary (campiversary) lava hot springs, idaho 2009
(i cannot believe we didn't take any pics together- sad!)

we take turns planning valentines day and our anniversary so i have no idea what nic has planned for us this year! how exciting.
i'm one lucky girl.

30 things before i'm 30.

it's always good to have short term goals but i think i've been neglecting some making some long-term plans. i saw a list by oh happy day about 30 things to do before she turned 30 and i thought i'd give myself around 1,552 days to accomplish these things!

1. have another baby (haha.. not SOON but yes, i'd like another before 30- we'll see if nic agrees :)
2. travel someplace warm & foreign.
3. learn how to letterpress- buy a press if we're able.
4. take classes on crafty things/learn how to really sew & alter clothes (like Melissa- she's my idol)
5. make new friends and denver and make lots of time to see friends new & old there.
6. SAVE!
7. continue our quest to live small & as minimal as possible.
8. run a marathon.
9. read good books (and the scriptures too)
10. do something fun with daphne everyday.
11. keep a cleaner house.
12. see some cities in the US we want to visit: NYC, boston, portland, chicago, austin, and of course go to san francisco as often as possible.
13. get the bus all fixed up (new engine) and beautifully restored.
14. write a popular blog like Gabby.
15. be closer with my siblings.
16. go a vacation just with nic.
17. go camping as often as we can.
18. explore denver- don't just go to the same places we already love.
19. plant a garden
20. eat new food- be adventurous.
21. buy the perfect gifts for people- plan ahead.
22. start or join a joy school or baby sitting co-op
23. don't care that you're renting- decorate the house like it's yours.
24. organize our massive expedit bookshelf.
25. go canoeing & kayaking
26. go on a just nic (and daphne if we need to:) date night at least twice a month. we used to be so good about this EVERY week but we've been getting together with friends many weekends now- so i'd like to get back to it :)
27. be a supportive, caring and nurturing wife & mother.
28. volunteer.
29. yoga. lots of yoga.
30. celebrate my youth :)

has anyone else made a list?

potty training.

was a horrible (messy) disaster.
everyone was right.

we'll try again when she's 12.

ohhhhh changes.

this is going to be a wordy, picture-less post. feel free to stop now and come back to the blog another day if you're not interested :)

well, things are changing around here.
2 things in particular.

1. daphne is potty training today.
am i crazy and does my sister keep telling me this? YES.
we did not want to potty train her this early (she's only 17.5 months) but she kept running to the bathroom, standing up to the toilet and unbuttoning her pants and i just couldn't tell her: "no, pee in your diaper" one more time. so far she's 5 hours in and we haven't had an accident. so that's good. the bad? she also hasn't gone in the toilet. she had a bath about 4 hours and i'm pretty sure she peed in the tub. now she's down for a nap and we'll see how that goes.

2. we're vegetarians.
about 3 weeks ago i had a gall bladder attack. it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. it was from 11pm-1am and i just curled up in my bed crying. it was awful. i had another attack from 3-4am. i don't have insurance and i knew what was going on (they saw gall stones in my ultrasound with daphne and warned me this would probably happen and that i should have my gall bladder removed after having her which i didn't and i haven't had any issues up that point) so, i just endured it but i knew i never wanted that to happen again. so, in the morning i looked up what to do to prevent gall bladder attacks. attacks are induced by fatty foods and so to ensure i wouldn't have an attack, i have to limit fat grams to 15-20 per day. that's about 1/4-1/3 of the recommend amount of fat we should have each day. the first couple of days were HORRIBLE! i was SO starving... i couldn't find anything to eat that would really leave me satisfied. but, i got used to it pretty quick and now it really isn't a huge issue. i can't eat out, eat most things that people eat, go to eat at other people's houses really or eat anything that is "quick" to make which is sometimes annoying. But, i am feeling much more healthy and have a better outlook on food (i think i was addicted?)

so, since i've started this new "diet" (i'm also not eating sugar for my headache-prevention diet...) i've been considering going vegetarian because pretty much all meat that i liked, i can't have anymore. hamburgers, ribs, pulled pork, bacon, CHICKEN STRIPS (my absolute favorite food ever) animal fat is the main cause of gall bladder problems so eliminating most of that out of my diet (though i am still eating dairy and eggs- if they can fit in my 15 grams of fat a day :)
seemed like the best way to go for me. nic has talked about going vegetarian before and was so supportive and wanted to do it with me. he is awesome.


so, that's what's up in our house.
i'll be better about blogging, promise :)

quote from julie

my sister is funny and her kids are freakishly funny.
i think most of my friends read her blogs (konchar family & julie konchar over there on the side) but in case you missed this gem here is a quote from her blog:

Monday evening we took a little family walk to Highland Point. It's about a mile each way, and the views of the Rocky Mountains at the end are breathtaking. I made Jon wear his shoes. He didn't wanna. His shoes, you see, are rather hideous. He's been wearing a certain $10 pair of Wal-Mart sneakers for the past few months and they have officially given up the ghost. A week before school ended, the sole of his right shoe filed for divorce from the upper. Some sweet lady at the office used duct tape to keep the shoe together until he got home. Good enough for me. I told him I'd buy him new shoes in two months. Jon isn't so excited, though, to wear the taped shoes. Did I mention the duct tape is neon pink?

So the shoes are ugly and pink. Jon isn't a fan. Pleading his case (which he lost, btw) he said "Mom. I can't go out in puberty like this! I look ridiculous!" I informed him that the word he was searching for was "public" not "puberty". And then Josie explained in a rather condescending tone, "Yeah Jon. Puberty is when you grow hair on your bladder."

Giving Josie and Jon the talk should bring a bounty of delightful misunderstandings.......all of which I will publish here.



oh my, i love my nieces and nephews (these 2 are 8.5 year old twins)

hansen's shower

some of our very best friends moved away a week ago. the problem with rexburg is that you make awesome friends and then they move. every time. since we're leaving in december i hope to make lots of great new friends and then leave them sad and lonely with only G's dairy to comfort them. (aren't i sweet? :)

chad and rebecca are wonderful and we miss them already (even though they are wedding photographers and were NEVER home anyway! they were always off to exotic places shooting stylish weddings, oh, the life) Rebecca is due in a couple of months so we combined a going away party with a baby boy (Christopher!) shower and invited their favorite girls (and BOYS!) to share in the event. It was so much fun to put this shower together. Rebecca and I have very similar aesthetics so i was never worried that the shower wouldn't look like her, it totally did. sweet, cute, modern with a bit of whimsy, just what we like :)

i did a crepe bar with lots of different fillings and toppings and so i spent most of the shower behind the griddle in the kitchen- but it really turned out well. nutella, crepes, buttermilk syrup and fruit... no one complained :) i also made homemade quiche, cupcakes, a fruit salad and fizzy limeaid (simply limeaid, pellegrino and sprite).




I had to find some way to incorporate my love for typewriters and the little collection i've begun. so, i had out 3 typewriters at the shower. one with instructions to tell baby Christopher why his mom was awesome, another to say why his dad was awesome and the last one was to share our favorite memories for Chad and Rebecca (not like our favorite childhood memories- but our favorite things we did with them) one of the typewriters quit working part way through the party but we adapted and it was really fun to hear everyone typing, complaining about the lack of spell check and making errors they couldn't delete. [LOTS of pictures of the typewriters... no one of the Hansens or their guests... OOPS!]

i found these large circles at artco for .25 each so i bought 8 and made a $2 modern mobile with some yarn.
I bought all the glassware for the crepe bar at D.I. everything was .50- $1 each, it was awesome. I'm REALLY going to miss D.I. when we move to Denver, nothing compares (especially with cheapness)
I added twine and a little card identifying each topping. i had the printer who prints our wedding invites print all this up for me the day before the shower.

and lastly... daph is awesome. we love her and can't believe she's already 17 months old.

baby june

this is the best baby picture ever.
don't you want to be friends with design mom?
i sure do.