Picture Pages

Usually I'm not one to rake a bunch of leaves. It think it's better for the lawn to let them sit....or it's just much MUCH easier for me. Either way I came home this afternoon and found a bunch of leaves in my backyard and a bored two year old. So Naturally...... We raked them up and had a little bit of fun....

Posed for some pictures.....

Threw the leaves around.....

And generally had a good time.

Eventually Cami convinced me to join in the fun....

And then she watched as I finished cleaning up. Very exciting afternoon for Cami.

Also, last week we took a trip to Nauvoo for Katie's wedding. It was almost five years ago that Carrie and I were married there. It was a little less cold this time around, but last time we were a little less busy.

Here's Cami trying to get Mom to hurry up outside the temple.

She did stop running around long enough to take a picture.

This one pretty much sums up the conditions after the wedding. A little windy, wet, and cold.

Here's Cami in the Nauvoo Family life center. It was less windy inside, so she was much more happy.

Riding the pine next to a buggy.

Mommy snagged her for a picture. If you noticed a pattern , you're right, it is very difficult to get Cami to stop and take a picture. For every good one we get there are at least 7 or 8 we can't use.

In the blacksmith shop.

With her Cousins Lexi and Ashlyn.

In front of the Blacksmith's fire with the Coopers. Cami was much more interested in the fire than in the picture I'm afraid. However, after a solid week of picture taking Cami now says ," Smiles!" Every time we take out the camera. I'm glad she's got that down, now if she would only sit still....

It's a BOY!

Well, yesterday we found out that our December baby will be a little boy. Chris is now randomly shouting "Boy!" around the house, or chanting a little "B-O-Y" song. They said everything looked good, and the baby currently weights 10 oz. I'll post a picture later, but just wanted to spread the news, for those who haven't encountered my incredibly excited husband via Internet or real life yet!

Almost Half Way

So I still have another week and a half till I'm actually 20 weeks, but it is so close that I'm getting very excited! Mingo (that is what Chris calls the baby in utero - actually so do I now too & Cami - she says "Mingo Baby" - it will be easier to consider actual names when we find out the gender) has been very evident for a while now, so I thought I'd post the belly picture too. I actually started feeling the baby move about a month ago too, so I've felt pretty pregnant the last month (though of course that part is great). On the very much upside, I have felt SO much better lately, with only the occasional nausea. My house is finally acceptably clean & I only have to take a nap every few days. We will find out if it's a boy or girl at 20 weeks too, unless Chris can convince the doctor at our appointment in 5 days to let us get the ultrasound a few days early.

As for the rest of us, we have just been enjoying a fun Kansas summer. Over the Fourth of July we went to several museums & enjoyed good family time swimming. Cami really loves the water, but constantly wants in and out if there's no zero depth entry ("out, out" quickly followed by a short run & "backee in water"). It's hard to imagine her getting any more active, but she is very fun. She is talking a lot now & actually speaking in full sentences some of the time. She also recently said all of her ABC's, loves to count (she's up to twelve, which is always followed by "sixteem" - too cute to correct), and knows almost all of her shapes. More than anything though, she adores Clifford the Big Red Dog, and is constantly hounding us to read the same two Clifford books we have to her, or to watch the TV show, which she is only allowed in the morning (or if one of us is really tired - let's be real :)). We are still a long way off from the birth of the baby, but as Cami is pretty much running the show these days, I think it will be quite the shocker for her. Oh, I am also in the process of converting her room from baby to toddler, mostly an excuse for new decor, so I will take pics when that is complete. Here is a swinging picture though, from our family photo shoot a little while back, & something else that Cami loves - such a cheeser.

Another little one on the way...

Well, as I was checking out everyone else's blog this morning, I though about how long it has been since I updated mine, especially since I have good news that some far-away friends or family might not know (unless everyone has stopped checking to see if we've written anything, in which case, I would not blame you). We are pregnant again (technically more me than Chris, but you understand)! I am 14 weeks along right now, with a due date of December 22. This means that I will pretty much be pregnant for the rest of the year, and that with any luck, the baby will be born on Christmas Day :).

We are very excited, and I am especially pleased that my morning (all day) sickness seems to be waning, and I can actually act like a normal person again. I know Chris will love having meals and a clean home once again! I found a new recipe blog that I like & am excited to try some out. Here is the link if anyone is interested: http://www.realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/ There's a new recipe every day, which for some reason I find very exciting.

Other than that, we are just enjoying going to the park & library (we found a park right next to the library, which has been very convenient) and the swimming pool. Chris will have a couple of days off for the 4th, so if anyone has any suggestions of cheap things to do with a 19-month old in KC, let us know. As I've been interrupted in my attempts to publish this post about five times over the last week, I'm going to call that good for now. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Idol picks

This week the American Idol song choices are from the iTunes top 100. I only done a few paragraphs on how I feel about American Idol this year so far, so here is a full on post for all of you who enjoyed those last year.

This is kind of a hard week because a good percentage of top 100 downloads are terrible singer songs or just suck. ( Hint, do anything by " Flo Rida" and you're out. doesn't matter who you are.)

Some contestants match up well with what's out there and some will really be streching to find something. Here's my thoughts.

Alison - Is a mortal lock to sing " My life would suck without you". She'll kill it too. The only way this doesn't happen is if some other contestant wants it and she loses the coin flip. If you are an Idol contestant and thinking of taking this song away from Alison PLEASE DO NOT, just sing something else and let the fans have this one. She's going to do a better job than you this week, and maybe temporarily pull ahead of you in the competition, but you and I both know she's about two weeks away from having a theme week she can do nothing with, saying something akward/embarassing, and then getting the boot. Just let this week ride and then reap the rewards later.

Scott - Will sing "The Climb" or "Don't Stop Believe'n" . He has no choice...his addiction to inspirational songs compells him. I think he should go with the former. Miley Cyrus isn't the best singer, but he will go with the second because of the Piano portion. Either way, I think there is no way to avoid this being a grease fire and we'll probably all have to suck it up and shoot the puppy this week. I wish him all the best though.

Lil - Suprisingly this is going to be a hard week for her. I think she's kind of screwed. I think she'll be forced to Sing "Single Ladies" by Beyonce and run the risk of a mediocre, copycat performance. I wish she'd get creative and take a non- r&B song and put some hip-hop in it, but she won't. Again, we'll all be a bit dissappointed and wonder why.

Danny - Okay, He's kind of in a corner as well. Truthfully I can see him, Matt, and Kris having a death match over who gets to sing "I'm Yours" ( The winner should be nobody, that song has been DONE) In the end he will talk Scott into leaving the show by singing "Don't stop believing" so he can sing "The Climb", he will then cry about how the song represents his struggle, He will go on another week being a favorite in the competition since nobody has the stones to stand up and say ," Wait a minute, this guy is only a little better then average and growls all the high notes....what in the heck are we doing !?!?

Megan - Needs a big week, because Scott and her are clearly the worst and Scott is blind so we feel bad sending him home first. Still, if she hits it out of the park justice will prevail and she may stay another week. I disagree with conventional wisdom and think she should RUN away from Colby Calliet and "Lucky". Just because Megan is coffe shop music and that is coffe shop music don't mean the two are interchangable. Sadly, this week doesn't present Megan a lot of good options but if I have a gun to my head I would say "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry works for her sound. It's an all or nothing performance that could be really good or really bad, but I think it works for her personality.

Matt- Will be tempted by "don't stop believe'n" but should embrace his inner Elliot Yamin and sing "How do you sleep" No Piano, just sing it straight up and he would probably kill this. This is a big jump for him from singing everything with a Soul vibe do doing straight Pop - R&B , but if the transition goes well he might be able to separate himself from the pack a little bit.

Anoop - Kind of needs a ballad. It's what he does and right now a high energy performance would single him out in a bad way. And average ballend would keep him in the competition, while a bad "bobby brown" esque performance could send him home. If Matt doesn't sing "How do you slepp" Anoop will. But I think he should sing "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. This is a HUGE departure from what he does, but it will allow him to sing essentially a balland in a little different style where he can play to his strength and still get props for "Taking a risk" .

Kris - He's going to try to sing "I'm yours" . He probably has a fun story about how he sings that one to his wife and she loves it, and blah blah blah....I really hope he doesn't, Kris is one of only two smart contestants we have when it comes to song choice and I really hope he doesn't go the easy route. Kris joined the group of favorites because he can arrange music to fit his voice, and give the audience something different. I would love to hear something different, like his take on "Only you can love me this way" by Keith Urban or "It won't be like this for long" by Darius Rucker. There are a ton of songs that suite his voice and it would be easy to do one of those, but I hope he takes the more difficult road and gives us something we haven't heard before.

Adam - I really don't want to recommend songs for Adam because he is better at picking songs for himself then I am at picking songs for him. Even "Ring of Fire" suited his voice, despite the song being too flaming for a general audience. I think this is the week to go back to the rock edge and pick "Second Chance" by Shinedown. Also he's the only one who can convey enough emotion to properly sing "Thinking of you" by Katy Perry. I prefer that latter, but seriously Adam is playing all his cards right right now so whatever he wants to sing I'm sure will be fine by me.

Mini Blog Posts

There are pros and cons to spending three days watching four basketball games on four different TV's all at once. The pros are the basketball, and also pretending to be intensely zoned out and not hearing your wife when is calling for you, allowing me to avoid all sorts of child care duties. The cons are when all four games go to a commercial break, and each channel is playing the same commercial on four different TV's you feel like you're being brainwashed. Over the last three days of basketball I think I've seen the same 10 commercials on an endless cycle. It's been awful. The only one that is still even mildly entertaining is the midget farmer selling mini breakfast sandwiches. He just looks so happy, I like to think that there is an actual midget farmer out there who is as happy as that little fella. Anyway, in honor of the only commercial to make it out of the NCAA Tournament first round without me being completely tired of it I will post a series of "mini posts" in honor of that small dude and his farm.

1. After two days my bracket was already mathematically eliminated from winning Cooper's bracket contest. An all time low. This year I picked my teams based on how far they would have to travel each round. Next year I am going to select the college that I assume would have the best food ( including an in depth analysis of each school's freshman dining plan). I am almost guaranteed to do much better.

2. Speaking of food, I am no longer eating it. I started my diet this past week, and I've already passed on about 4 slices of pizza, two brats, 4 pieces of cake and Ice Cream, some Queso Dip, and several bowls of chocolate snacks. Some count the calories they eat, I count the calories I pass up on. It's a higher number and it makes me feel much better. Also, I did lose 7 pounds in week 1 ( Take that Biggest Loser!) So right now the thrill of success is trumping the constant dull ache for food. Keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck.

3. This year I have discovered Dial Idol. They post their "results" measured by how often they get a busy signal when calling for all the contestants. They are very accurate, not completely accurate, but very accurate. Type in "Dial Idol Results" the morning after a show, their actual site won't give you the results for free, but there is some blog that does. Just a tip for all who like spoilers.

4. Quick Idol Thoughts : Alison would be my favorite if she were 10 years older. Danny Gokkey kind of sucks and we're all being fooled. No news could come out about Adam Lambert that would shock me, none, he's talented and can be entertaining, but he comes off fake and it bothers me, no idea who he really it. Kris Allen is my current favorite, if he continues to show the ability to arrange music to fit his voice he will stand a decent chance of being top 2.

5. Cami has decided that she wants to live outdoors full time. She LOVES running around in the yard and we are scrambling to find some outside toys for her, we are in the market for anything and everything Little Tykes has produced. Right now we have a little slide, a huge plastic wagon we picked up at a garage sale and we're still questing after one of those yellow-red cars that looks like an egg, a playhouse with shutters ( or just baby shutters, as that is the only feature on the house Cameron actually cares about), and a baby pic-nic table. I would like to pay $10 or less for all three because I am unreasonably cheap. So I have a feeling that hitting up garage sales will become a consistent practice for us over the next few weeks.

Four Random Things On My Mind Right Now

1. My poor neglected blog . I haven't even seen it for 6 weeks. Carrie has completely changed the format and at once made it much more attractive and much less manly. I feel like the guy who went away for a week long business trip and came home to find his "man-cave" turned into a sitting room. Not that this blog was ever an online man cave, goodness knows it exists to publish baby pictures and a few family updates. But it does feel much tougher to write about sports knowing that my insightful analysis is now flanked by decorative doily. Just saying.

2. Balloon Animals - Speaking of manly subjects I might as well come out and admit the least manly thing I do. I've gotten pretty darn good at making ballon animals. I've been at it for almost two months now and It's gotten to the point where I can twist anything if given directions and I have come up with a few designs on my own. See the pictures below for a few examples. My big question now is where do I go from here? Do I try and seek out balloon artists to learn from so I can do the most complex stuff? Do I increase my speed so I can knock out hundreds of single balloon animals for kids parties and start a side business? Do I want to endure my college friends laughing hysterically every time I mention balloons for the rest of my life? ( I'm looking right at you Todd) Not quite sure what the answers to any of those questions are yet, but for now I'll just stick to reluctantly admitting that yes I'm 28 years old and I enjoy playing with balloons in my spare time.

3. Old School Shaving - Badger hair brush, shaving cream in a tube, straight razor. I have decided to cast off fruity smelling neon cream and start my day like 90% of the great men of history have before me....with an old school shave. For my Birthday Carrie got me a shaving brush made of fine badger hair and a tube of shaving cream. These past few weeks I have been schooling myself in the fine art of producing and applying hot, warm lather with my brush. Every morning now starts with that soft facial massage and the aroma of sweet success enveloping my face. Soon I will be adding the straight razor into the routine ( I'm waiting until I have a few days in a row off, just in case I'm dealing with wounds that need stiches) To complete the cycle and join the club of those who've gone before me and shaved like real men.

4. American Idol - This season is making me angry. The top 36 format doesn't work for me at all. I feel like this show has gone from 30% manipuled by the producers to 75% with a quick format change. The part of American Idol that I liked was the honest competition portion, it usually began in these first voting rounds, but right now I feel like the only folks who stand a chance of winning are the folks they spent the most camera time on. In that past Folks like Ricky Braddy, who get zero camera time, but sing nicely can stick around a few rounds while we get to know them and see if they can perform week after week. Now, he's just gone. While folks like Michael Sarver get all the camera time in the world, and then advance with an average performance. We won't see him sing for a solid month, and when he does show up again in the top 12 there is a better than good chance we're going to say, "Boy that guy sucks, how did he get through?" He got through because the producers want him through. We get no chance to see how these folks do over the course of 3 weeks time. It makes me angry that you can't advance by just singing well, you have to sing well and be choosen by the producers to have your story highlighted. It really sucks and is killing my enjoyment of this round.