Musings of a Redhead

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

Our holiday card that I did not mail.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. These are photos are from Christmas morning before church. Asher would not cooperate but I did get some cute pics of the older kids in their new church clothes. They are getting so big!

2011-09-29T13:27:00.002-06:00

The most subversive, revolutionary act in this world is to speak the truth. This is especially so for women. Speaking one’s truth is an act of courage requiring a level of assertiveness that may or may not be in a woman’s possession. Patriarchal cultures have traditionally frowned upon assertiveness in women, training their daughters instead to exist for those around them rather than for themselves. The consequences of trained passiveness don’t need explanation; suffice it to say that such a practice harms women in body, mind and soul. - From "Assertiveness Training" on the blog Doves and Serpents

Read the rest here.

You won't regret it.

mormon feminist conference

2011-09-21T09:23:00.003-06:00

Jared and I have gotten pretty involved in the liberal, progressive, whatever-you-want-to-call-it Mormon community the past year. We have met so many truly wonderful and inspiring people and made many dear friends. We are thrilled and honored that Margaret Toscano invited us to be on a panel at The Mormon Women's Forum Counterpoint Conference.

The Mormon Women's Forum is a non-profit organization founded in 1988 that "encourages open and honest discussion among people with diverse opinions and promotes gender equity and social justice in the context of the worldwide Mormon community." The yearly conference explores issues related to Mormon feminism--something very important to me. That said, I am definitely intimidated to be on a panel! This isn't something I've ever done before.

For those in Utah, I hope you'll consider coming. The keynote speaker is Eloise Bell, a retired BYU professor who is sure to be amazing! And the sessions are free! (Although donations are accepted.)

The Mormon Women’s Forum
Counterpoint Conference
October 8, 2011
Panorama East, Olpin Student Union
University of Utah

The Olpin Student Union is located on Central Campus Drive on the east side of campus; Panorama Room East is on the top floor, on the west side of the building. There is an adjacent parking lot, free on Saturday.

To encourage all to attend the conference, admittance is by donation. The lunch is $15 to cover costs.

9:00-10:30— “LGBT RIGHTS AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS: WORKING TOGETHER FOR EQUALITY”

Panelists:
Michael Ferguson, PhD candidate, Univ. of Utah, college of engineering–focus on neural imaging
Nadine Hansen, semi-retired attorney, grandmother of 7, feminist writer, and gay rights activist
Kendahl Millecam, stay-at-home parent, real food blogger, works w/ Phoenix Youth at Risk
Dominique Storni

10:45-12:15— “HIERARCHY, PRIESTHOOD, AND COMMUNITY: CAN WOMEN BE INCORPORATED INTO CHURCH LEADERSHIP?

Round Table Discussion:
Mary Ellen Robertson, director of outreach and symposia for Sunstone Education Foundation
Michael J. Stevens, professor of management & business admin., Weber State; Sunstone board
Paul Toscano, bankruptcy attorney, author of Sanctity of Dissent and Sacrament of Doubt
Margaret Toscano, feminist writer; assist. prof. of classics & comp. lit., Univ. of Utah

12:15-1:15– Lunch

1:30-2:30– Keynote Speaker & Recipient of the Mormon Women’s Forum 2011 Eve Award

ELOUISE BELL— Retired Professor of English, BYU; author of Only When I Laugh; one-woman show of Patty Bartlett Sessions; Grande Dame of Mormon Feminism. Talk: “Be the Freckle: A Crone’s View on Feminism and Change”

2:45-4:15– “MEN AND WOMEN: LEADERS AND SUSTAINERS? PARTNERS OR RIVALS?

Panelists:
Jared Anderson, teaches religion at Westminster, finishing dissertation at UNC-CH on NT Gospels
Katrina Barker Anderson, wife, mom, step-mom, photographer—birth & breastfeeding advocate
Alan Eastman, chemist with GreenFire Energy by day, and musician by night
Amy Parkin, works in academic publishing, blogs for the-Exponent.Com

4:30-6:00— “FEMINISM, THE CHURCH, AND ME: HOW FEMINISM HAS INFLUENCED MY IDENTITY AND RELATIONSHIP TO THE LDS CHURCH”

Panelists:
Ellen Decoo, Belgian native, BS in sociology from BYU, applying to grad school
Vickie Eastman, retired freelance executive recruiter, gospel doctrine teacher
Derek Staffanson, feminist Mormon housewives blogger, stay-at-home parent, graphic designer

Counterpoint Conference—Registration

The conference sessions are free and open to the public! Donations are greatly appreciated and are suggeststed at $5 per session. You may show up at the door without pre-registering, but lunches must be pre-ordered.

Lunches must be reserved by October 6, 2011; you may email or call to reserve your lunch: Margaret Toscano (801-581-4768; margaret.toscanoATutahDOTedu); Janice Allred (801-225-4967; alphaATxmissionDOTcom), or by posting to The Mormon Women’s Forum, P.O. Box 581454 Salt Lake City, UT 84158 (Return Service Requested)

unmotivated

2011-08-30T18:48:00.001-06:00

Remember how we went to London this summer? I still haven't even glanced at the photos from the trip. Two weeks ago we spent a week in southern Utah with my family. Went hiking at Zions and Bryce, two of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring places on Earth and I haven't looked at those photos either. I don't know what's wrong with me. I need to stop being so lazy.

more miriam

2011-08-24T15:15:00.001-06:00

A couple more of the pics I took yesterday....

And this one is for M, a color version of one I posted yesterday, to show off her blue eyes. :-)

14 months

2011-08-23T23:35:00.001-06:00

At 14 months, Miriam...

is cuter than ever
can walk on her own but won't unless we are holding her hand
eats solid food every day, but still gets most of her calories from nursing
gives the most delicious hugs and kisses
adores her big brother Asher
sometimes hates her big brother Asher, like when he is sitting on Mommy's lap
loves music and dancing
loves putting on necklaces (see photos) and clothes and shoes
loves brushing her hair
loves footballs
sleeps with Mommy and Daddy
sings when she is tired
points her toes almost all the time (future dancer!)
has four teeth-- two top, two bottom
loves to go up and down stairs
can take off her velcro diapers
still loves Mommy best but will let some family members hold her for minutes at a time and likes hanging out with Daddy too.

She is looking way too grown up in these pictures.

daughters of mormonism

2011-08-03T10:03:00.002-06:00

Several months ago I heard about a new podcast called Daughters of Mormonism. The podcast was created by a woman named Sybil who wanted to explore women's issues in the LDS Church. Sybil says "the hope of this podcast is to give voice to our experiences, our issues, our lives, as Daughters of Mormonism. In my view, any woman who has been a part of the Mormon culture or religion, whether she still participates or not, is part of this group I call the Daughters of Mormonism."

After listening to the first few episodes, I knew I wanted to be involved with this project. Sybil was looking for panelists to join group discussions, so I contacted her. She was in Utah at the time, so we were able to meet up and share our stories. In May, we did our first panel discussion on the Divine Feminine. There have been several other panels since then I haven't been able to participate in but we have many more in the works.

Sybil has also done an interview with the panelists to tell our individual stories. These amazing women each have a unique and interesting story to tell. Sybil and I chatted back in June and today my interview was posted. You can listen to it at Daughters of Mormonism or download it on iTunes. Check it out!

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

2011-08-02T11:36:00.001-06:00

It's World Breastfeeding Week! All over the world, communities promote breastfeeding during the month of August and especially the first week. Here in Salt Lake, we have the Breastfeeding Cafe at the Downtown Library in the Share Space. There are volunteers there every day for the next two weeks to offer information and support to breastfeeding mothers. There are also various events and classes going on during the Cafe. I will be teaching a photography class on August 9th from 10-11 about how to photograph your children. Come get some tips and meet other mamas!

On Saturday you can help set a world record if you are a breastfeeding mama at the Big Latch On. All around the US and world we will try to set a record for simultaneous breastfeeding. Be at the Library by 10 am to register. The Big Latch On will be at 10:30. For those of you outside of Utah, check here for a location near you!

catching up

2011-08-01T15:20:00.000-06:00

I'm going to play catch up on my blog and start posting pics from the past few months that I never got around to posting. Today, its MAY! I've backdated them all so click HERE to see all of the new posts for May. I think there are 8 new posts. If you like pics of my cute kids, you'll enjoy!

Once, I've caught up a bit, I'll get to going through all our London pics. Maybe I'll get those posted by September. :-)

Happy Birthday, Jared, my love

2011-07-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Five years ago today we spoke for the first time.

You were turning 29 then. I, 23 1/2.

We have spoken every day since.

We have spent hundreds and hundreds of days together.

We have dated, married, and birthed two children.

We have seen children grow.

We have developed new talents encouraged by the other.

We have slept side by side, often with a baby or two as well.

We have walked and danced and explored.

We have flown across the country and the ocean.

We have occasionally quarreled, but never held a grudge.

We have grown into more interesting people.

We have loved, loved, loved.

How blessed we are.

How blessed I am to have your love.

To have you.

Happy Birthday, Jared.

I love you more.

sunday at the park

2011-07-28T09:40:00.000-06:00

One Sunday a couple weeks ago I just felt the urge to get out of the city. So after dinner we drove up Parley's Canyon to Washington Park. I'd never been there before and missed the turn, so we had a bit of a scenic drive too. The extra car time put both kids to sleep.

Of course the sleeping didn't last long. Soon Asher was awake and ready to explore!

He exclaimed more than once, "This is awesome, Mom!" He was on a constant search for bugs.

Jared and I spent time reading on the grass.

And eventually Miriam woke up too.

She wanted to go play on the playground.

But we couldn't stay forever and when I said it was time to go, this is the response I got:

So we stalled by taking a few more pics

How hilarious is Asher's face?

He really does love his Mama!

And then it was time to load up and head for home and bed.

downtown farmers' market

2011-07-27T09:06:00.002-06:00

A couple weekends ago we ventured downtown to check out the farmers' market. Man, that place was packed! And it was hot. Next time I think I may go by myself without kids so I can take my time, but we still had fun.

Miriam was being fussy while I waited for Jared to pay for something so a woman stopped with her dog to cheer her up. Her dog in a stroller! Hilarious. It did cheer up Miriam though. :-)

The kids enjoyed the free samples.

My friend Alisha is a super talented photographer. She has a booth set up at the market where she does these awesome instant portraits. It is true art. You should definitely check it out and get photographed if you are a local. Plus Alisha is so fun. You will love meeting her.

Water and playground break.

Back to the car with our goodies.

13 months

2011-07-26T10:59:00.001-06:00

She's 13 months now.
She now has two teeth with two more about to break through.
She's taken steps on her own but hasn't yet truly become a walker.
She loves to dance and sing.
She loves to give hugs and kisses.
She loves to cuddle.
She likes eating beans, bread, cherries, olives, cheerios, ice cream, pasta, avacado, apples, and more.
She loves her brothers and sisters.
She loves Daddy more and more these days.
She is just chock full of sweetness and personality with a delightful sense of humor.

I love you, Mimi girl.

tricks

2011-07-25T19:59:00.000-06:00

The morning after we got back from London, we were hanging out in our living room with my parents when Asher exclaimed, "Mommy, watch me!" He then went over to the wall and busted out this move.

No idea where he learned it. My mom said he didn't do it while we were gone, and I've never seen the older kids do it, but Asher seemed to be an expert! What a funny kid!

bed head

2011-07-25T19:10:00.000-06:00

Miriam gets really sweaty in her sleep, so when you combine that with sleeping next to me, often tucked up against my arm, you get this crazy hair. I think its hilarious. Also, check out that tooth! The one next to it has now cut through and the two top ones are very, very close. It took her nearly 13 months, but she's finally getting teeth!

Happy Pioneer Day!

2011-07-24T21:20:00.003-06:00

July 24th marks the anniversary of the day that the Mormon pioneers (including some of my ancestors) discovered the Salt Lake Valley. Here in Utah, Pioneer Day is a big deal. Here's my nod to this holiday... posting this magnificent poem from Carol Lynn Pearson. I love her. And I love my Mormon Pioneer heritage. Let's all be pioneers in our way!

Asher is 3!

2011-07-21T11:43:00.002-06:00

Dear Asher,

Today you are three years old! You are no longer my little baby who came to me after so much hard work, with a bruised head and loud wail. You are no longer our bronze baby who spent so much of his first month under bili lights. You are no longer the chubby legged baby who took baths in the sink. You no longer sleep in a crib. You no longer crawl at the speed of lightning. Nor slide down the stairs in two seconds flat. Instead of incomprehensible babbling, you now speak more words than I could ever count and tell me stories that make me laugh out loud. You've grown from a squishy baby into a solid little boy.

Asher, although you are prone to violence at times when over-excited, you are also so sweet and loving. You give the best hugs and kisses. And you tell me you love me at least once a day without any prodding. You are still very much a mama's boy but you adore your Daddy too. You tell me I'm "fretty" and sometimes for no reason call me "Mudder". It makes me laugh every time. You love your baby sister so much and often tell me how "sute" she is. And you just adore your big brother and sisters, "VuhVuh", "Isaact" and "Frace".

You have the best imagination. You love any pants with pockets because they all have your "phone" in them. The other day your pocket was sticking out so I fixed it and you then demanded that I give your phone back! You are so good at entertaining yourself and playing by yourself. A couple weeks ago you spent days playing with an imaginary baby. You took such good care of that baby. Your imagination will take you far I think!

Some of your favorite things right now: cars, trucks, pretty much any vehicle, superheroes- superman, spiderman, and batman are often your play companions these days, Caillou, Angelina Ballerina, baby dolls, robots, rockets, bugs, rocks, the sprinkler, watching Daddy play video games, playing hide and seek, Elmo, helping cook and clean, climbing and jumping on the couch, going places in the car.

Your favorite foods: oatmeal (you call it "memeal" and eat it pretty much every day, usually multiple times a day), eggs, bread and jam, chocolate chips, rice and milk, beans, granola bars. We need to work on eating more vegetables! And you still love nursing although you now only do it once a day.

Asher, you truly light up my life with your joyful exuberance, your hard hugs, and delightful chatter. Your dimpled smile and twinkling brown eyes make my insides all melty. I love when you put your little hands on each side of my face and looking lovingly into my eyes. You have perfected the puppy dog look to say the least!

I love being your mother. I love getting to share my days with you. I love watching you learn, explore, and grow. Happy Birthday, Asher! I love you more and more.

Mommy

At least they are cute

2011-07-19T16:12:00.002-06:00

Because my kids are driving me crazy this week.

We are on day two of Asher and Miriam being ridiculously high maintenance, and I am feeling the need to either run away or hide in the bathroom. These kind of days are usually few and far between, so to have two in a row is pushing me to the edge a bit.

Not only is my house strewn with toys and crumbs, but they are causing me bodily harm too. This morning Asher accidentally head butted me square in the nose. I practically saw stars. And then this afternoon, while sharing my burrito with him, he bit too far and came straight down on my thumb. I actually cried it hurt so bad. And it still hurts.

Miriam is teething and cranky and whiny. For a baby that is usually so happy, this version is getting old fast.

Oh, and we've got Asher down to nursing just once a day, Miriam is eating a lot more solids, and so my breasts are leaking like crazy. I smell like sour milk.

I am so hot right now.

Birth Matters!

2011-07-17T09:44:00.000-06:00

'Living in the Body: Milk and Honey'

By Amanda Greavette

Check out her AMAZING Birth Project at www.amandagreavette.com

From the foreword by Ani DiFranco to Ina May Gaskin's latest masterpiece Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta:

It confuses me that I, an educated, privileged woman in twenty-first century America, am surrounded by women who think they need saving and, because they are denied the opportunity to know otherwise, may believe it forevermore. They look at me with wide eyes and say, "I couldn't have done what you did [birth at home unmedicated]," and my heart breaks as I think quietly, "Yes, you could have! In fact, I bet you could have done better!" How could all these otherwise empowered young women go so unquestioningly into the role of damsel in distress when it comes time to have their children? How were they convinced that they "couldn't do it"?

I finally started reading this book and I can already tell it is going to be AMAZING. I bought it months ago but just hadn't gotten to it yet. Ina May Gaskin is one of my heroes. Just reading the foreword and first chapter has me all fired about birth issues again. This really is a topic that I am super passionate about. My goal to be a birth educator is burning within me once more.

2011-07-13T15:51:00.002-06:00

holy crap.... I have SO freaking much to blog about. I need to get going on that one of these days. For example... we went to London last week! Yeah, London! Me, Jared, and Miriam. My mom stayed with Asher. Both kids did great.

My laptop power cord died while in London. I think this is at least the 5th or 6th one we've had with this computer in 3 years. For some reason, our computer kills power cords. Luckily, we've never had to pay for a replacement. Thank you, Apple. I quite enjoyed the time offline the past couple weeks though.

This summer has been so busy but will now calm down for while thank goodness, so I might actually be able to start posting here again. We'll see.

And uh, what is going on with blogger? Everything is all different. I feel like I'm in an entirely different program.

Happy Birthday, Miriam!

2011-06-23T14:24:00.000-06:00

Almost exactly one year ago, Miriam made her peaceful entrance into the world right here in our living room. One of the best days of my life!

I still need to take her official one year old portraits, but wanted to make sure I put a post up today wishing my sweet baby a happy birthday. She is a delight and joy. I love her to pieces and am so happy that I get to be her mother. Her smile and laugh light up the room. Her hugs and cuddles make me melt. I love being her favorite person in the world. There is not a sweeter baby than my Miriam.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful girl!

summer solstice flowers

2011-06-21T23:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Summer Solstice!

My roses are in bloom and I had to snap a few photos of them today to celebrate the official start of summer.

one of the reasons i've been neglecting my blog

2011-06-09T11:13:00.001-06:00

I've been planning this event.

I am SO excited to meet one of my personal heroes Carol Lynn Pearson!

Look for a picture of the two of us on here next week. :-)

Hopefully next week I'll be able to start catching up on here. I have lots of stuff to post.

Summer is turning out to be quite busy!

11 months

2011-05-25T21:14:00.000-06:00

Time just won't stop! Miriam is now 11 months old and cuter than ever. Seriously. Look at that face!

and this one

and this

This past month, Miriam has had a lot of development. She's wants to walk most of the time holding our hands or the furniture, but she also finally started actually crawling. This means that she spends more and more time playing on the floor and exploring. She's also beginning to eat a bit more even though she's still toothless. She is such a cuddly baby. Much more so than Asher ever was at this age. She gives the best little hugs and kisses. She babbles and sings. She says Mama but we haven't distinguished any other words yet. She is definitely a mama's girl but she's starting to go to Jared more and more even when I'm around. And will let a few other people hold her for short amounts of time.

standing

2011-05-24T21:57:00.000-06:00

She loves standing against the couch like this, dancing and clapping and watching Caillou with Asher.

Is that not the most adorable little profile?

love

2011-05-22T14:54:00.000-06:00

at the table

2011-05-21T22:53:00.000-06:00

Miriam is starting to spend more time actually sitting and eating in her high chair. Slowly but surely she's starting to like table food. She's had the drinking water from the sippy cup down for awhile now though. It makes her look so big.

yesterday and today

2011-05-20T20:50:00.000-06:00

A lot of our life is spent hanging out together in the living room. Miriam loves walking along all the various furniture around the room. And occasionally getting into trouble by pulling out all the tissues from the tissue box!

2011-05-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

what? I have a blog? perhaps I should actually post on it, eh? I'll get around to it soon. Promise.

happy mother's day to my mama

2011-05-08T21:23:00.000-06:00

Isn't my mom hot? This was taken when she was in college. Before she was a mother. I'm sure that the girl she was then probably didn't dream she'd end up with five kids. She probably didn't know what a wonderful mother she would be to us. She probably didn't realize all she was capable of doing and being. I'm so grateful for this girl and the mother she became. So grateful for the mother she taught me to be.

bath time

2011-05-07T14:43:00.000-06:00

Miriam took a bath with just Asher for the first time this week.

They looked so big playing in the water together.

My baby girl is growing up!

2011-05-06T14:40:00.000-06:00

The kids were playing on the rug today having a good time with Isaac. Isaac is such a good big brother. He really is so sweet with Asher and Miriam. And they just love him too. Isaac will often walk around the house with Miriam-- her favorite thing. And Asher just adores playing with his big brother. They are lucky to have each other.

I snapped this pic of Miriam and it is now one of my favorites of her. Such a sweet smile this girl has.

2011-05-05T14:37:00.001-06:00

My parents came to visit finally. Due to house selling and moving and such, we hadn't seen them since Christmas. The longest they had ever gone without seeing the little ones. By the time they left, Miriam was actually letting my mom hold her for long stretches of time. Big improvement!

I actually think that Asher bears a strong resemblance to my dad and Miriam looks a lot like my mom. Kinda funny how genetics work.

You can see their matching eye color.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-27T22:14:00.000-06:00

Easter Sunday we all got dolled up and I really wanted to get some good pics of everyone. The kids had new clothes and looked great. But of course my dreams of great photos didn't come to fruition. Miriam had a fit and would not let the kids hold her for the pic. This is what we got:

Funny at least, right?

I did snag a few pics of the big kids individually which turned out pretty cute.

The girls were sweet together.

Asher just ran away however.

And here's Miriam with Daddy and one with Mommy.

(Also, for some reason the focus was not sharp on any of these. Annoying.)

Easter Saturday

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

We like to do all the easter basket/egg hunt stuff on Saturday instead of Sunday to keep the pagan aspect of the holiday separate from the Jesus aspect of the holiday. Plus it allows more time to do all the fun activities and not be rushed on Sunday. Saturday we got up and the kids found their Easter baskets and then we headed over to the neighborhood egg hunt. It was windy and chilly but fun.

Later in the afternoon, we dyed easter eggs. Its been years since I've done it. I had kinda forgotten out fun it is and wished I'd gotten more eggs. Next year I'm going to save ourselves from toxic dyes and try some natural ones though.

kid on bench x4

2011-04-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

Bored kids at the BYU Museum of Art taking advantage of cushiony benches.

I grabbed the camera and had to change lenses in a hurry and didn't realize until we got outside that it wasn't on right, so my focus was all wonky. But I like how this one turned out anyway. Grace's eye contact makes it I think.

blossoms

2011-04-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

On BYU campus last week.

I can't resist tree blossoms.

to grandmother's house we go

2011-04-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Last week we made a trek down to Provo. First stop was the BYU Museum of Art to see the Carl Block and Dorothea Lange exhibits. Wonderful! But too crowded of course.

Here we are outside the museum.

Then it was off to Grandma Sue's house for dinner and to of course see the chicks!

Look how big they've gotten!

But the best part of the trip was spending time with cousins. Jared's cousin Sarah was in town from California with her husband and five kids. Her kids all happen to be almost exactly the same age as ours so there was much fun to be had. We ended up deciding last minute to spend the night so the playing could last longer. Only getting a few hours of sleep was worth it. Also, the breakfast Grandpa Mike made us in the morning was amazing! I ate way too much.

All the kids minus Sarah's 2 year old who was sleeping.

Asher has no clothes on because he had pooped on them all. Major case of diarrhea left over from the stomach bug he and Miriam caught last week. Thank goodness Sarah had lots of diapers because we ran out.

And here's Sarah and Jared and the babies.

before i post about easter

2011-04-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

How about pics of the kids in their Christmas clothes?

My mom got these dresses and sweaters for the kids for Christmas and I never got around to photographing them all together until just a couple weeks ago. Of course, would they all look at the camera at the same time? Nope. But they are cute nonetheless.

kisses and loves

2011-04-23T22:04:00.000-06:00

How cute are these two?

I make freaking adorable children. It's a fact.

10 months old

2011-04-23T16:09:00.001-06:00

Another month gone way too quickly!

Miriam is such a sweet little mama's girl.

Still not crawling but loves to walk along the furniture and holding our hands.

Babbles up a storm saying "mama", "dada", "baba", "nana".

Gives really great cuddles and will only sleep by mommy.

Her smile lights up our house.

tickles

2011-04-15T12:32:00.000-06:00

Asher was looking at Miriam's Ten Tiny Tickles book and acting out the tickles with her. I love seeing them play together like this more and more as Miriam is getting older. I really hope they will always be friends.

brothers

2011-04-14T13:20:00.000-06:00

mimi and daddy

2011-04-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

monster strawberries

2011-04-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, the strawberries at Costco were HUGE! I'm talking the biggest strawberries I'd ever seen. I almost felt like the little mouse in one of our favorite children's books. ;-)

See what I mean? It's nearly as big as my whole hand!

They also tasted delicious. The best strawberries we've had yet this spring.

chicks!

2011-04-11T10:28:00.000-06:00

Grandpa Mike (Jared's step-dad) stopped by the house the other day with a surprise to show the kids-- baby chicks! Grandma Sue says they are already a lot bigger than this now, so I'm glad Mike thought to let the kids see them when they were so little.

They all took turns holding them.

Some were cuter than others. :-)

How precious is this?

It's going to be fun to have chickens to visit when we visit Grandma and Grandpa Merrill in Provo. :-)

A letter to Spring

2011-04-08T10:30:00.000-06:00

The view from our back window right now.

Oh Utah Spring, can we be done with the snow now? Pretty please?

Remember how last week it was so warm and wonderful to be outside?

We had such a lovely time at the park.

Miriam got to eat grass for the first time.

Asher got to wear shorts.

Please warm weather, won't you return?

But don't go straight to summer either, please, k?

much thanks,

Katrina

9 months

2011-04-06T22:16:00.000-06:00

This post is two weeks late but since we were sick when Miriam actually turned 9 months, I didn't take pictures of her. Finally did today. She is so stinkin cute! She's really into standing these days. Stands against my legs or the couch. Still won't crawl though she will walk around with us holding her hand.

A funny observation I realized today: Asher was much better as a baby about looking at the camera. Miriam almost never does. I have way more pics of Ash looking at the camera then I do of her.

9 months is a big milestone for babies I think. They start to really branch out and explore on their own by 9 months old. I wrote about this when Asher turned 9 months. Miriam is still such a mama's girl but she's starting to want to get down and explore more and more. She's not a tiny baby anymore!

lame blogger

2011-04-05T10:45:00.000-06:00

Haven't been in the blogging mood this past week. I'll get back in the swing of things soon. In the mean time here's cute Miriam from last month. These were taken at Olya's house. Isn't this quilt amazing?

back to the land of the living

2011-03-28T23:56:00.000-06:00

We are finally feeling better around here! Miriam and I are still coughing a bit but its getting MUCH better every day. And Miriam finally is back to her usual happy self. Now I'm getting caught back up with photo editing and looking forward to the warmer temps promised for later this week. I'm sick of it snowing! Spring, please come for real.

I also need to finish up The Dance of the Dissident Daughter because I'm hosting my book group Thursday night. Which also means I need to clean my house for real. Housekeeping has been on the serious back burner during all this sickness.

Oh, and have I mentioned we have cable now? Stupid Comcast has a monopoly where we live with the internet and its actually the same price to have cable and internet so we got it. I love it but also sometimes wish we just got rid of the tv altogether. What I am really loving though is On Demand. I can watch so many shows that way. And its great cause lots of the PBS shows are on there too so I can put one on for Asher and know it will be over in 20 min. He is currently very into Caillou. I love hearing him say, "I watch Caillou, Mom?"

And I must admit that I missed TLC and Food Network and the Travel Channel, so its been fun to catch up on the few shows I really like while I edit photos.

In other news, my parents sold their house in Los Alamos and are finally officially, officially moving to Santa Fe. My dad's been commuting for awhile now so I'm sure it will be nice to drive less. They are probably going to rent a condo for awhile until they find a house they want to buy. I think my dad is kind of relishing his status right now of being completely debt free. :-)

And just for kicks, here's a pic of Miriam from a couple weeks ago.

this pretty much sums up our week

2011-03-23T14:27:00.001-06:00

Taken on Tuesday morning.

Having a sick baby is one of the saddest things ever as a parent.

We've been spending lots of time cuddling skin to skin, nursing, and cleaning eye goop and throw up.

Fortunately, today she no longer has a fever and things are definitely starting to look up.

Now if my coughing would stop, I'd be just peachy.

Also, makes me SO grateful once again that I have a husband who works mostly from home.

He has done TONS this week taking care of us.

my mimi girl

2011-03-18T09:08:00.000-06:00

Some cuteness for your Friday...

beyond the edge and home again

2011-03-17T08:58:00.000-06:00

Non related, but pretty cherry blossoms from Washington, D.C. 2009

I'm reading "Dance of the Dissident Daughter" by Sue Monk Kidd (author of The Secret Life of Bees). The book is about the author's feminist awakening and search for the Divine Feminine. She grew up a very active devout Southern Baptist but as her children reached their teenage years she began to see how damaging patriarchy is to women.

I want to share this paragraph that really struck me as I was reading yesterday. Perhaps you will be able to relate. This can apply to much more than just feminism.

"Despite the growing disenchantment women experience in the early stages of [feminist] awakening, the idea of existing beyond the patriarchal institution of faith, of withdrawing our external projection of God onto the church, is almost always unfathomable. It's that old the-world-is-flat conviction, where we believe that if we sail out on the spiritual ocean beyond a certain point we will fall off the edge of the known world into a void. We think there's nothing beyond the edge. No real spirituality, no salvation, no community, no divine substance. We cannot see that the voyage will lead us to whole new continents of depth and meaning. That if we keep going, we might even come full circle, but with a whole new consciousness." (p 48)

I especially love that last sentence. It gives me great hope to think that I can go on this journey of exploration and still be able to return home, just all the better for having made the trip.

new play rug

2011-03-16T23:08:00.000-06:00

I'd seen various versions of these around the blogs for awhile now and then discovered that Ikea has one for just $15! I'll take it! The kids, and especially Asher, have been having a lot of fun with this. Ash loves driving all his cars along the road. He calls it "my rug".

light and dark

2011-03-15T11:31:00.000-06:00

mimi and mama

2011-03-14T14:03:00.000-06:00

We were playing on the rug in the early evening sun and gave Jared the camera to take some pictures. I like having these moments with my baby girl captured.

after a bath

2011-03-14T10:02:00.000-06:00

Asher was sick all last week and is still not totally back to normal but doing much better. Luckily, it seems that Miriam has escaped whatever virus he caught. Thank goodness for that! It is so hard to keep little ones healthy in the winter. I am REALLY looking forward to Spring's warmer temperatures that will allow us to get outside more without risk of so many germs. Asher has been sick more this winter than the rest of his life combined! Nothing serious, but no fun either.

This is a pic I snapped last week after bathtime. They were being so cute sitting together on the bed. I love how much they love each other!

pinterist-- you're gonna love it!

2011-03-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, you might hate how addicting it is too, but it is so great!

So what is Pinterest? Here's how they describe it:

Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.
People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things -- wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it.

You really just need to check it out to see for yourself. I'm loving it as a way to keep track of all inspiring images I come across on the web. Really easy to keep them in one place and share them too.

Here's the link to my boards. Come request an invite and follow me and I'll follow you!

this man i love

2011-03-10T07:00:00.001-07:00

This man I love

Is good and kind

Brilliant and generous

Affectionate and resourceful

This man I love

Makes our life joyful

Works hard for our family

Shares his gifts with the world

This man I love

Made me his wife

Fathered my children

And cheers me on when I fly

This man I love

Loves me and always will

Happy Anniversary, Jared dear. I love you more.

playing

2011-03-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile Miriam will play by herself like this. I peaked from the kitchen and saw this the other day and had to grab my camera. She spied me too as you can see.

the view from our front porch this morning

2011-03-08T11:30:00.001-07:00

Last night the rain turned to snow and this is what we woke up to! I knew we were going to get at least one more good snow. The sun is now shining bright and working on melting the snow away already. I think Spring can come now.

update

2011-03-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have lots to blog about but no time to do it. Here's some of what we've been up to...

Last Thursday I photographed my first birth! Very exciting and totally wonderful. It went perfectly. And the timing couldn't have been better. I got to the birth about 7:15 am, the baby was born at 9 and then I stuck around until 11:30 to get pics of the baby being weighed and measured. It was also perfect timing because Jared wasn't teaching that day like he normally would have because of spring break. Miriam even survived being away from mama for nearly 5 hours quite well. Hopefully I'll be able to share some pics from the birth on my photo blog after the family sees them. I'm going to be busy this week going through them all. As to be expected, I took a lot!

Friday night we went to a party at our Hypnobabies instructor Liz's house. She invited over past students for a little reunion. We ended up staying until almost 2 in the morning! We were just talking up a storm with Liz and her husband and sister. Kindred spirits for sure. Amazingly, Asher actually stayed awake that whole time too playing. He didn't want to leave. Definitely has his dad's night owl genes.

Um, I can't remember Saturday. Hmmm... I know we slept in and I took a nap too, so maybe all we did was try to catch up on sleep? I feel like there was something else.

Sunday was busy. We went to a baby blessing of one of Jared's cousin's new babies. Afterward we had lunch at Jared's uncle's house with all the family. Then we came home and Jared made dinner, I made a cake, and my brother's came over. It was Nick's 19th birthday. Can't believe my baby brother is 19!

Yesterday Asher's eyes started getting red and goopy and he ended up sleeping in our bed cuddled up to me all night. He's definitely not feeling well although his eyes seem to be better than they were this morning. We put some breastmilk in them last night but he hasn't let me put more in today. Breastmilk really helps clear up eye infections.

The big kids are also off school today. They are currently watching Justice League.

So that's the boring update for ya'll. Miriam hasn't been going to bed quite as early the past week and I've been going to bed earlier so my two hands free computer time has been sorely limited. Hopefully I'll back into the swing of things this week.

be inspired

2011-03-01T12:54:00.002-07:00

I saw this on facebook today and shared it there, but had to post it to my blog as well. What an inspiration this man is. He feeds the homeless, ill, old, and forgotten members of his society. He bathes them and cuts their hair. He loves them when no one else does. Sounds like someone else who lived a couple thousand years ago, doesn't it? This man is also a Brahmin, the upper caste, so he shouldn't even touch the people he's caring for.

EDIT: Jared put this in the comments, but I wanted to add it here too so you all see it. You can donate to this man's organization here: http://www.akshayatrust.org/

Not sure why its cropped the way it is but you won't really miss anything.

Jared on Mormon Stories

2011-02-28T19:18:00.002-07:00

Several months ago we discovered the wonderful Mormon Stories Podcast. Started by John Dehlin, this podcast series seeks to "interview interesting people about Mormon-related current events, issues, media and culture." There are lots of fascinating interviews from which we have learned TONS. And now Jared is among them! Jared's interview is titled "An Academic Introduction to the New Testament". It is basically a crash course in the New Testament from an academic viewpoint. I'm really excited to listen to it and learn more myself! If you missed the hyperlink above, check it out here.

A small disclaimer: The ideas presented are going to be quite different from what you get in LDS Sunday School or Seminary. The purpose of this podcast is to share how scholars evaluate the evidence and what conclusions they come to after dedicating their lives to studying this material. It is not Jared's intent to destroy faith, and it includes his account of how he reconciles his faith and studies. He freely acknowledges there are other approaches that also work. Finally, he welcomes any discussion on the interview page.

I'm so proud of you, babe!

8 months old

2011-02-26T15:19:00.001-07:00

Better late than never, here are M's 8th month portraits.

(They are only so-so. We took them in a hurry.)

I'm still rather shocked that she is really 8 months old already, but this is a really fun stage.

She sits and plays by herself...well next to me usually. She doesn't tolerate me not being near for too long.

She is liking her daddy more and more, which is adorable.

She loves peekaboo and will even hold the blanket over her face herself.

Her laughs are infectious.

As are her smiles.

She has a superior gag reflex which means she's not eating solids yet,

even though she likes to taste things.

She really loves her big brothers and sisters.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel like the luckiest mom ever

to have such a sweet and beautiful baby girl.

Yeah, I'm not really liking the post-processing I did on these either, but am too lazy to redo them. Oh well. She's still cute!

ack!

2011-02-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

I just realized that today is the 24th and that means Miriam turned 8 months old YESTERDAY. I can't believe I totally missed it! Today someone actually asked me how old she is and I said 7 months. Why does time have to go SO freaking fast?! I don't like it. Guess I'll be taking her 8 month portraits tomorrow... two days late.

amazing hypnobabies home waterbirth--unassisted!

2011-02-23T11:52:00.002-07:00

My wonderful Hypnobabies instructor, Liz Phalp, gave birth to her 6th baby back in October. She recently posted the birth story and video to her website, and I just have to share it. I totally teared up watching her quick, easy, peaceful birth. It brought back how I felt when Miriam was born. The awe and peace and ease with which it all happened. Although the specifics are different, our births were very similar--quick labor, kneeling in water, water breaking late, only pushing a few times, catching the baby ourselves, the utter joy felt while lifting a new baby out of the water.

This was not a planned unassisted birth; the midwife (same as mine) just didn't make it in time!

Here is an excerpt from the birth story and the video follows:

I remember feeling excited when I realized that no one else was going to make it. Though I’ve never wanted a planned, unassisted birth, I knew the ones that happen by accident, always seem to happen without incident, and I was really feeling good about things. So with this pressure wave I pushed once and the water broke, I pushed again and his head came out. When I said “there’s his head” Tyson said “are you serious?!” and finally put his phone down, then as I took another breath Tyson said “is he out?” (I’m not sure why he couldn’t see at this point, I guess I was blocking him, I was in a part kneel, part squat), and I said “not yet” then pushed the rest of him out. It was so incredible, feeling his head after the water broke, then seeing his head when I pushed it out, then holding his whole body as it came out. What an incredible way to be totally and completely connected to my baby and my body, and doing it all completely by myself was so incredible! I just really can’t describe how it felt other than completely natural and right! From the minute I stepped in the tub not a single fear or doubt even entered my mind, I was so assured and confident. It was like someone else stepped into my body, someone who had done this hundreds of times. It was so perfect, so amazing, truly such a miracle!

She also named her baby Asher. :-)

just because

2011-02-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's ok to be a girly girl.

love

2011-02-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

Stopped pancake making to make this image instead.

How could I resist?

Miriam cuddles like this are rare.

windy walk

2011-02-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday the weather was still warmish so we wanted to get out for a little walk. Although warm enough not to need a winter coat it was WINDY! And it just got more windy as we walked. Although I got hats on the kids I didn't wear one myself and my ears were hurting like crazy by the time we made it in. The best part of the walk was Asher looking at a bunch of a little bugs. He was fascinated.

I love Miriam's face in this picture.

By the way, I edited these pics using MCP Actions free Mini Fusion Action for photoshop. If you have photoshop you should check it out. MCP has a few other free actions that are great too.

baby feet and other ramblings

2011-02-17T08:00:00.022-07:00

Are baby feet not the cutest things ever? I had kinda forgotten just how freaking adorable M's feet are since, it being winter, they are usually covered in socks or footed rompers or shoes. The past several days were quite warm for February so M was going barefoot around the house, and I have really been enjoyed her cute little tootsies. She's always pointing them and swinging them and touching them together in the most darling of ways. I must confess, that I have secret hopes she'll be a dancer some day.

Also, I think she may be working on her bottom teeth. Man, she's been crankier than usual the past few days. Yesterday wore me out. She wasn't crying tons but just lots of whining. I was SO ready for bed time. I hope these teeth either make an appearance soon or give her break for awhile. Neither of my kids seem to handle teething very well. Asher just got his top two year molars and we had a few really hard nights with him. He still needs his bottom ones so that should be fun.

I was in a seriously funky mood myself last night. I'm not sure exactly why other than being worn down by kids. My house is disaster and I am tired this morning. Wishing I could just go back to bed. I need to clean and start tackling the humongous pile of laundry that I've been ignoring for a week. Blech.

I feel like I should end on a better note than that so here's this: Jared picked up Photoshop CS5 for Mac while he was in NC. Having the student discount means we get to buy it for 1/10th of the retail price! I've been really enjoying having Ps on my Mac instead of having to use windows all the time to edit photos. I HATE windows. When we bought Ps a few years ago we didn't have the Mac. I'm still getting used to the new version and stuff but I love it!

post nap hair

2011-02-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

I'm just happy to see she actually has enough hair for it to be messy. :-)

I'm really looking forward to the day when she has hair to style.

I think she'll be even cuter if that's possible.

a saturday afternoon downtown

2011-02-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Jared spent Thursday through Monday in North Carolina for a conference at Duke, which means I was home alone with the two little ones. (The big kids were with their mom.) This is the second time he's had to travel since Miriam was born. The first time was a longer trip and was physically more demanding because both kids were younger. This time for some reason, emotionally it was a lot harder to have him gone. I am so spoiled that Jared works mostly from home so I get to have adult conversation throughout the day. With him gone, I felt so lonely. I'm really glad to have my best friend home again!

My sweet friend, Olya, was really thoughtful and invited us to crash her mommy/daughter date on Saturday afternoon. We met downtown at the Church History Museum which has a fun little children's exhibit. The weather was absolutely gorgeous--sunny and 50 degrees so we also spent some time on Temple Square letting the kids run wild. It was wonderful to get out of the house, enjoy the company of a real grownup who is fun to talk to, and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Plus, we had AMAZING light and both captured some beautiful images. Olya's camera battery died but luckily our cameras take the same battery so we took turns switching mine back and forth. :-) I think we both appreciated having a few pics of ourselves with our kids since we are usually behind the camera. Thanks again, Olya for a wonderful afternoon! I've said in the captions which photos are Olya's.

How freaking adorable is this?

Taken by Olya

Is that joy or what?

I'm obsessed with the flare in this one!

Taken by Olya with my camera

Taken by Olya

On our way back to the car, Miriam got all puckered out and feel asleep in the stroller. Asher on the other hand was obsessed with all the fountains and we had to stop at each one so he could put his hand in it.

Asher calls her "Mimi Bear" when she's wearing this.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Me and Jared on our first Valentine's Day together four years ago!

My Valentine is currently on a plane on his way back home to us. I have missed him like crazy these 4 days he's been gone. He won't even see this post until after I pick him up from the airport but I wanted to post it anyway to say Happy Valentine's to my amazing husband. I love him more and more. Four years seems both too short and so long at the same time. Here's to many, many more silly Valentine's Days to come!

salt lake city temple through the 50mm

2011-02-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

I took the babes down to temple square yesterday to enjoy the amazing weather we've had this weekend. I wanted to keep my camera light so I kept the 50mm lens on it. This lens is amazing for portraits but not the best for landscapes/architecture. It was fun to shoot the temple though in this limited way. Forced me to be creative and shoot from angles I wouldn't normally. I'm pleased with the results.

Which one do you like best? I think my favorite is the first.

asher at 2 1/2

2011-02-11T09:12:00.014-07:00

My beautiful boy is now 2 1/2 (as of a few weeks ago). I'd been wanting to sit down with him and get some good portraits but it just wasn't happening. Then I caught these images the same morning I took the ones of Miriam below. He was being so sweet about smiling for the camera. And doing a real smile on demand doesn't happen often with kids this age! I just adore him. I think he looks so grown up in this first photo. I can see how he's more and more boy and less and less baby, even if he does still like to say he's my baby.

I'm amazed by how much Ash has changed in the last 6 months. He is talking SO SO SO much. It took him awhile to catch on to English but man now he can say anything and everything. The only unfortunate thing is he still uses Fs for Ts and Ds at the beginning of words. And trucks are his favorite thing ever so we hear a lot of what sounds like a certain swear word. :-)

Asher can be oh so sweet. He's really into asking for hugs when he doesn't want to go to bed. He is such a mama's boy and SUCH a charmer! He's still nursing although we have set more rules and he only nurses morning, before and after nap, and before bed. Hoping to reduce this more in the next couple months. He sure loves "nurse milk". He gets this sweet little smile on his face and says "Nurse, please?"

He is actually quite polite with his pleases and thank yous. When I say "You're welcome" he says back "welcome" in the adorable little sing song way.

The other favorite thing he says is if you ask him a question to which the answer is yes, he will often say "Yeah-ah, I di-id." It is hard to type it how he says it but it is SO cute.

Of course he can throw a tantrum with the best of them. And he's prone to violence at times. He also has a thing for turning everything into a gun with accompanying sound effects. He is such a boy! And yet he loves to cuddle and take care of baby dolls too.

He is really into labeling adults either a Mommy or Daddy or a Man or a Lady. Usually he insists they are Mommys and Daddys even if they aren't. He also usually refers to himself as "You" which we find hilarious. He knows his name is Asher and has recently started using that more but if you point to a picture of him and ask who it is, he'll say "You" and pat his chest. Although I haven't noticed the past few days he's started using "me" as well. It's so fun watching him learn and figure things out.

He also loves to cuddle with me and say, "This MY mama!" And he says "I yuh you, Mama" which just melts my heart.

One more adorable thing is he never says the word kiss, he just does the kissy noise... as in "I *kiss kiss* Mimi?" and then he kisses her.

Asher is a wonderful little guy to have around. He is so entertaining and delightful. I love being his mother and I love having him as my little friend.

the other morning

2011-02-10T22:48:00.001-07:00

Miriam was playing on my bed with Asher's dump truck and the light was pretty and so I snapped a few photos. She's so good at sitting now. I love that I can leave her playing by herself now. She often sits next to me on the couch while I work on the laptop or she'll sit at my feet on the rug. She wants to be able to move around but hasn't figured that out yet. It doesn't help that she abhors being on her tummy still for longer than two minutes. Not sure how she'll figure out how to crawl if she won't hang out on her tummy, but I suppose she'll manage.

ps... I've been playing around with my blog design the past few days. I think I've settled on this for now. maybe. :-)

fractured

2011-02-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we got a call from Olivia's school that there had been an accident. Olivia had slammed her fingers in the heavy metal gym doors. She was bleeding and upset and obviously in a lot of pain. Her mom was able to pick her up and take to the ER where Jared met them so her mom could go to work. Jared and Olivia spent the next 3 or 4 hours in the hospital. After x-rays, shots, an IV, being knocked out so her nail beds could be repaired, and finally splinted, this is what Olivia's hand looked like upon arriving home.

She has three broken fingers but they should all heal up nicely. So should her nail beds. She is a lucky girl that she has all her fingers. It could have been so much worse. She's been in pain and unfortunately the injured hand is her dominant one, but all in all she's handling it very well. And apparently her classmates have been wonderful about volunteering to help her. Here's to a speedy recovery, Liv!

birthday flowers

2011-02-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

My flowers have died but these photos never will. ;-)

my birthday 2011

2011-02-07T23:26:00.001-07:00

I had one of the best birthdays I've had in years I think. Jared went all out and really made it a special day. The morning was spent relaxing and such. Because we had had company the night before we did all our cleaning on Friday so we all got to just hang out on Saturday. Jared ran some errands and came home with this beautiful bouquet for me AND a gift card for a 90 minute massage! Oh, how I am excited for that one!

We had already discussed the fact that I wanted Indian food for my birthday dinner and a Costco chocolate cake for my birthday cake. The cake was purchased the night before and I was under the impression that Jared was cooking me dinner. At about 4:30 or so I was about to get in the bath when Jared's mom and step-dad show up. I thought they just happened to be in Salt Lake (they live in Provo) and so stopped by to say hi when Jared informed me that we were going out to dinner. I thought he meant we were all going out but then he said "And they are here to babysit!"

I was SO surprised! I was not expecting that at all. Jared even insisted that we leave Miriam. I was reluctant at first because Miriam does not like being left, but since we were only going to dinner and my mother-in-law insisted they'd be fine with her, I relented. And I'm SO glad I did. It was WONDERFUL to eat dinner without any babies. We went to Bombay House and had a wonderful date. Here are pics of us before we left.

I didn't bring my camera to the restaurant so no pics of that but when we got home we had the cake. I had never had one of Costco's chocolate cakes but had always wanted one. They are delicious and so rich! Note the chocolate shavings on the sides--best part.

It was a seriously great day. Jared's stepdad even cleaned my stove! That was a job that really needed to be done. Such a great present! I should have taken a picture of my in-laws. Oops.

On Sunday my brothers (and my brother's girlfriend) came over for dinner and we had more cake!

And then on Monday my other big present came-- Jared ordered a new memory foam mattress pad for our bed. The one we've had for the past 4 years had just worn down a lot and was no longer as supportive. The new one is fantastic! Our bed is heavenly. I love memory foam. Oh and he also bought me Carol Lynn Pearson's The Flight and the Nest. Such a great book.

And to round out the birthday celebrations, my sister Lauren sent me Sally Mann's Immediate Family. I love Sally Mann. Her photography is so amazing, brave, and beautiful.

We've already been enjoying my gift from my parents--our gorgeous rug!

It was so fun to be surprised on my birthday and to feel so much love from my family. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day/weekend!

valentine's cookies!

2011-02-06T16:55:00.001-07:00

A friend of ours sent us a special treat this weekend--a box full of gorgeous Valentine's Day cookies. They are some of the prettiest cookies I've ever seen. And they tasted good too! Thanks, John! Rumor has it you may be able to order some of these for yourself if you want... see here.

Asher liked the lady bug cookie best.

per request: roasted root veggies and quinoa

2011-02-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

This is a super easy and delicious way to eat quinoa (a major super food) and to try veggies you may not normally eat. My mom gave me the idea for this dish. It is very simple and really lets the veggies shine.

First a little about quinoa: it is not a typical grain although it can be used as a substitute for any dish that calls for rice or couscous. Quinoa is a seed and also a complete protein. It has a neutral and fresh, slightly green flavor. It cooks very quickly and has a wonderful texture.

Now for the veggies... you can use any veggies you want in this. On this particular day I just got whatever struck my fancy at the market, concentrating on root vegetables. We used carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, red potato, red beets, golden beets, onion, and eggplant.

Chop all the vegetables and put in casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season as you like. We seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cover with tinfoil and roast in the oven until all veggies are cooked. I think I had it on 375.

Mix roasted veggies with cooked quinoa and a little more olive oil, raw minced garlic, and fresh chopped parsley. You can warm it all on the skillet if needed. The above picture is actually of us rewarming the leftovers the next day.

So simple, so tasty, and SO healthy! Enjoy!

cast iron lovin'

2011-02-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

For Christmas this year we decided we really wanted to get some cast iron skillets. Our big non stick skillet that we purchased last fall for 15 bucks at Costco was starting to die. I feared whatever strange chemicals had been leaking into our food because of it. I knew a well seasoned cast iron skillet is beautifully non-stick and healthy. Cast iron cookware even ups the iron content of your food! Oh, and if you take are of them they last forever! What is not to love?

So I hopped on over to my favorite online boutique--Amazon--and found this lovely little beauty for under $15. And this one which is huge and just what we needed to cook our giant meals. We wanted both a big one and a little one. We decided to get the little one to try out first and make sure we really liked it.

We fell in love! Oh my gosh, I did not know that food would actually taste better cooked on cast iron! And although it takes a little getting used to after growing up with non-stick Calphalon type stuff, they really are very easy to use and clean. I found this great little article with info about taking care of cast iron. Go get one yourself--I think you'll love it!

Roasted root veggies and quinoa in our giant skillet. Yum!

quickies

2011-02-02T19:53:00.001-07:00

We've been on a whirlwind entertaining streak the past week. Had dinner guests 3 out of 5 days! Very fun but also kinda exhausting. My house has stayed cleaner than usual so that's nice.

I had an excellent birthday which I will elaborate on in its own post once I've gone through photos. Jared really made my day wonderful.

Spent the last two Tuesday nights with this lovely lady doing some knitting. I started a baby blanket for Miriam when I was pregnant and never finished it... never even came close to finishing it. After she was born I didn't pick it up at all. I'm hoping having a designated knitting night will mean getting it done. Plus, I'm hoping Olya's mad skills will rub off on me, and I'll actually learn to knit more than just straight rows.

Did a maternity shoot yesterday for the woman whose birth I'll be photographing in a few weeks. She just found out her baby is breech! Boy do I know how she feels. I really hope her little guy flips so they can do their scheduled birth center birth.

My fabulous visiting teachers took me to lunch today at Cafe Rio. Yum! Good conversation too.

Been reading Carol Lynn Pearson's No More Goodbyes. Excellent read full of much wisdom and poignant stories of gay Latter-day Saints. I heart CLP.

It's freaking freezing here right now. And most of the snow is gone which is annoying. If its gonna be cold, there should be snow! My parents are in Big Sky, Montana right now and its been like -30! Craziness. The good news? We've been inversion-less the past few days which is wonderful. Friday when I was driving home I could not see the mountains at all the smog was so bad! Worst thing about living in SLC=Inversion.

I have really sweet children. Not only do they think I'm the coolest person on the planet, they adore each other. I love that they are starting to play together more.

Also, I changed the font on my blog. There are lots of new options now. What do you think? One of these days I will get around to making a new header.

happy friday

2011-01-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and we have a fun, busy weekend planned. Tonight we are having some friends over for dinner which I'm excited about. And then tomorrow is my birthday! Dude, I'm turning 28. 28! Two more years until 30. Very crazy.

As I was driving home from book club last night I was pondering on this fact and realizing that 28 is adult land. I was trying to really embrace the reality that I am an adult. It still feels weird. I think I'm starting to get there though. For years I felt like I was 17. That was my age in my head. Then after I graduated from college and got married it was 23. I think I'm on a 5-6 year cycle or something because I think I might be able to embrace 28. I'll probably hold on to this age for awhile now. :-) Am I making any sense? Does anyone else do this?

I'm not sure what all we are doing tomorrow. Jared has some surprises for me. Sunday night we are having some family over for dinner and cake. I think it is going to be a good birthday weekend.

And that colorful rug Miriam is laying on in the photo is my present from my parents. I love it! I'll post pictures of it soon.

Happy weekend everyone!

miriam and the pea

2011-01-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Miriam hasn't been too interested in food. She acts like she wants it, but she gags if an actual edible bite of food gets in her mouth. She really likes chewing on cold snap peas. I think they feel good on her gums. She also likes sucking on apples and pears... as long as she doesn't actually get a real piece in her mouth! After Asher refused to eat baby food I decided it wasn't worth the trouble trying to get Miriam to eat it. She'll get to point in the next few months where she can eat soft foods. For now breast milk is all she really needs!

the one spot of consistently good light in my house

2011-01-25T14:21:00.001-07:00

...Is by the dining room table. So occasionally after meals, I get out the camera to snap a few photos. These are from after breakfast the other day. I just had to capture Miriam's blue, blue eyes.

I love this face of hers. She makes it when she's concentrating.

And here's my brown-eyed boy!

7 months old

2011-01-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

my nurturing boy

2011-01-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

I love this picture for two reasons.

1) I love that Asher is nursing a baby doll.

2) I love that he holding his truck while doing so.

I've seen quite a few pictures of kids pretending to nurse their baby dolls, but Asher just barely started doing it. Usually he asks me to nurse his toys. I've nursed dolls, dinosaurs, puppies, sharks, fish, pandas, etc. It's pretty adorable. And now he's started nursing too. I love how nurturing he is. But still has that car! Cars are his favorite toy by far. At least he hasn't asked me nurse them!

Which reminds me that I never posted this picture of him from November with his tractor wrapped up in a blanket like a baby! Oh this kid cracks me up.

adorable

2011-01-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

And this one... taken by Asher actually. He did well, no?

crazy bath hair

2011-01-20T09:16:00.001-07:00

He thought it was funny too. Love this kid's sense of humor so much.

He really has always had a great sense of humor, but I love seeing it develop even more. One of his favorite games is to point to people in a picture and say it is someone it's not.

For example, he'll point at everyone but Miriam and say "Is this Mimi?"

"No."

[point at someone else] "Is this Mimi?"

"No."

[Laughs, points to someone else] "Is this Mimi?"

And on it goes.... he think its hilarious.

the city library

2011-01-19T09:10:00.003-07:00

I photographed a family on New Year's Eve at the downtown City Library. These are a couple shots of the interior I took that day. I love this building. One of the coolest architecturally I've ever been in.

"i'm a baby guh"

2011-01-18T09:05:00.002-07:00

This actually happened about a month ago but I never posted about it before all the Christmas crazy happened. One day the kids (instigated by Olivia of course) all dressed up as the opposite gender. Olivia was carrying Asher around like a baby and telling him he was a baby girl. I think we was confused for a few days after that. He kept insisting that he was "a baby guh"... not that he even gets what that means. It was pretty funny.

Utah Birth Photography by Red Bean Photography

2011-01-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

A baby's birth only happens once and nothing compares to those first moments of newness as a child comes into this world. I will forever treasure the images I have of the births of my two children. I would love to capture the journey of your baby's birth and document the magic as you meet your baby for the first time.

Now that Miriam is getting older, I am really excited to announce that I am going to start photographing births! My first one is scheduled for next month, and I can't wait. I am super passionate about birth and am honored to be able to capture such an intimate life moment in beautiful photographs.

I am currently working out several birth photography packages in my new pricing sheet coming soon. Watch my photography blog and site for info.

If you or someone you know is having a baby this year and would like to have it documented, please contact me at redbeanphoto@gmail.com. Because my children are so young, I will only be able to schedule one birth a month, so please contact me early to save your spot!

what miriam has been doing since 2 pm

2011-01-12T16:45:00.001-07:00

Sleeping on mama.

Maybe someday she'll sleep alone again for naps.

2011-01-08T18:26:00.001-07:00

Me: Asher, did you know that you're my favorite little boy in the whole wide world?

Asher: Yeah

Well I'm glad that's settled.

christmas number two

2011-01-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

We had a second little Christmas with the older kids after we got back from NM.

Here are the pics from that morning.

somewhere in northern new mexico

2011-01-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

Taken from the car on our way home. Northern New Mexico is strikingly beautiful. I wish I had taken more photos on our drive. The light was really pretty that morning and we drove through some really beautiful parts of New Mexico.

all worn out

2011-01-05T22:07:00.001-07:00

Asher has NEVER fallen asleep on the couch like this. He was playing with my mom's ipod and next thing we knew, he was out. Some kids do this all the time, but in case I never see it again, I had to take a picture!

nativity gnawing

2011-01-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

Miriam chewing on part of a wooden nativity puzzle.