I feel better

Sometimes I get down on my blog, thinking that no one cares about my minute accomplishments and family trips. I came across this blog and I feel better. I remember that I'm doing this for my kids, for our family journal and I stop worrying about how lame I sound or if I don't look good in any of the pictures.

Leila's Quilt

I finished Leila's quilt about a month ago but I forgot to show everybody! I can't believe how long one little quilt took to make! I started it when I was 7 months pregnant and I didn't finish till she was 2 mos. old! I think next time I'll try to piece together fabric that has more stiffness to it. That silky stuff, even though I starched it to make it rigid, took forever to piece together! As you might be able to see from the misaligned hems and stitches that it was my first attempt at piecing a quilt together. Overall I am quite pleased at how it turned out. I hope it lasts her for as long as she cares to use it!

Web Picture Tag

I got tagged by Lexi! Here are the rules: Use only pictures from a Google search. (don't cheat and use any of your own, or ones on your computer!)

Favorite Color: As much as I like to try and hide from it, I really do like pink. I think it's the whole mentality that goes with it. I'm not a valley girl that shops all day, and I'm certainly not blonde. But I like pink things! This picture pretty much explains it:

Favorite Animal: Hands down, the little blue penguins that live in New Zealand and Australia (2 places I should very much like to visit!)

Bad habit: Thumb sucking, my mom even made me one of these out of blue spandex when I was little!

Favorite food: Cafe Rio Chicken Tostada Salad mmmm...

Favorite Hobby: I love any kind of craft, anything to express my explosions of creativity... or just to wind down. But who wouldn't want martha stewart's craft room?!!!!

Place I live:St. George, Utah Favorite Song: I'll look after you, by The Fray.... for today anyway. My Job: Wife/Mother

Favorite Author: Yikes! That's like asking me to describe sight to a blind person! I suppose it's Madeleine L'engle, the author of A Wrinkle in Time for today. Hee hee, this is a funny picture because I am obsessed with Lost for the moment!

Favorite Dessert: Torta di Chocolate from Olive Garden (No sugar added) Very Very Very Good!
Picture of Me:

Or, another lady named Laura Callahan. She apparently resigned from the department of homeland security after it was discovered that she had 3 questionable degrees from a diploma mill in Wyoming, hm, glad I'm not her!

I tag...Ashlynn, Annie, and Kristen

Happy 311 :)

Today, we honor these, the 311:

Family, isn't it about.... CAMPING?!!

I'm sure everybody knows by now that my family is made up of a bunch of die-hard, dyed-in-the-wool, camp-till-you drop crazies. We start camping as soon in the season as we can, and keep going till the snow starts freezing our "piggies" off.

We kicked off our camping season this year at Whitney Pockets. (If you've been reading my blog we've gone to this same spot, every year for the past eleventy-something years) Leila was solemnized into the family by participating in this, her first Tent/sleeping bag experience, and I must say she did very well for 3 mo. She slept through the night, stared at the camp-fire, and even smiled as we drove along miles of bumpy roads.

Cooper mostly enjoyed being able to roam freely and not have anyone tell him to "spit out those rocks!", because I, after a certain point, gave up trying to compete with the obviously delicious and irresistable rocks. This was the first trip for cooper that he could run without tripping so he was able to keep up with his cousins and participate in all the mischevious toddler things they do. Among them: getting into the candy, shoveling rocks into our lunch, fighting over trucks, and concorses of other equally deviant behaviours. His life of recklessness led him to fall on a cactus and recieve a palm-full of hair sized splinters. Annie came to the rescue with tweezers, and Mom had a spray bottle of bactine... and after several dramatic minutes with the tweezers and medical tape, his hand was cactus free. He did not, however, come home unscathed. He is to this day recovering from a nasty sun-burn, and a severely chapped face (from hours of 4 wheeling no doubt). He refuses any type of relief in the form of lotion, or otherwise... claming that "It huwts!"

Ben and Tasha piched in with me and Jesse to produce a carne asada meal like no other (they didn't stay the night, owing to Tasha's large and cumbersome belly).

Jesse got some quality time in with his .22, and also, at times, his son. Just Kidding! We all know that Jesse was BORN to be a dad, he love's his "sun-boy" and absolutely adores his "Leilars". He spent hours on the 4 wheelers with Cooper and slept side by side with him at night. I fit in there somewhere too :) Thanks Mom and Dad for such great camping traditions!

As if you wanted to know more about me!

10 years ago-
hm... 13 eh? Yeah, let's not talk about that.
5 things on my list to do today-
Work out, make a grocery list, balance the checkbook, think of something to make for dinner, browse e-bay for cute diaper bags (After Ashlynn posted her Petunia Picklebottom bag I checked them out and I'm just waiting for a great deal to pounce on, they are way cute!)
Snacks I enjoy- I find myself snacking on stuff cooper doesn't eat (sad I know). I forget what it's like to make food that I like, instead of what my family should eat. I suppose if it were left up to me I would go for cold cereal, like cheerios or rice chex.
What I would do if I were suddenly a billionare-
Ooooh, interesting. I would like to say that I would be responsible with every penny, but I'd probably blow a few million on stuff like clothes, cars and vacations. Then I'd make my husband retire and raise my children in a different country every year!
3 of my bad habits-
I hate admiting this online (it's almost like shouting it in public!), but those who know me, know that I still suck my thumb! I'm impatient sometimes. And, I sometimes don't buckle my seatbelt!
5 places I have lived-
1. Durango, Co
2. St. George, UT (on 700 South)
3. Washington, UT (my parents house)
4. St. George, UT (in Hidden Valley, my first place on my own!)
5. Washington, UT (Me and Jesse's first house!)
5 jobs that I have had-
1. Sales person at Outdoor Outlet (I didn't do so much selling as cleaning bathrooms)
2. Ice cream scooper at Cold Stone
3. Bread kneader at Great Harvest
4. Secretary at Centennial
5. The best job ever: Mom!
5 things people don't know about me-
1. I played the clarinet for 7 years, piano for 2.
2. I stole smarties from Harmons when I was 5
3. my mom tried to give me a perm when I was 6, but it went bad and I ended up looking like a poodle.
4. In 9th grade I was the first kid in Seminary to memorize all the mastery scriptures.
5. Even though I did it for 2 years, I'm terrified of teaching primary.

I tag whoever wants to

Pants off, Dance off!

Sorry for all of you who missed out on our rockin' dance party. Here's a summary of what you missed:

-Mom doing her dancing rendition of "spanking a baby" (don't worry, I have it on video!)

-Alan breakdancing

-Tasha, pregnant belly and all doing the limbo and rocking at it (she went into early labor the next day and is now on bed rest. No, seriously, she is.)

-Dad dancing (that's an attraction all it's own!)

-Annie's awesome cherry blossom decorations (if it had been left up to me I would have had cheesy paper hearts pasted everywhere!)

-Mom and Dad dancing to "Let's get it on" by Marvin Gaye

Sadly, my camera battery died about 10 minutes into the dance so I only got a few pictures, but Monique video taped a few of the best moments and I have it on VHS if anyone wants to watch it!

Also this week, Jesse and Sam tried to score a free 20" pizza by trying to eat it together in 5 minutes. Sam successfully downed his half, but Jesse had a sad 2 1/2 pieces remaining. His ego took a bruising, and is recovering slowly.

And here's Cooper "hiding":

and some cute pictures of Leila:

Jesse + Laura 4 ever!

(answer these questions for you and your spouse/significant other)
1. Your Song: "All we ever find" by Tim McGraw
2. Your favorite feature of his: I love his long eyelashes, and I love it that Cooper has them! (I also love how muscular he is!)

3. His favorite feature of yours: Probably that I'm short... He has this thing with midgets.... :)

4. What drives you crazy about him (not the good stuff): He leaves stuff in the car for weeks! (Food, dirty clothes, tape measures, pieces of cabinets)

5. What drives him crazy about you: When I expect him to know what I'm thinking.

6. Favorite trip you've taken together: Our honeymoon to Mexico, no agendas, no plans, just wandering around aimlessly.

7. How do you picture your lives in fifty years: With no kids at home we'll have complete freedom! We want to serve as many missions as we can; Maybe to Mexico!

8. What was your worst fight over: Him falling asleep when I'm talking to him. Poor sleep deprived Jesse!

9. Most romantic thing he's ever said to or done for you: He's done lots of grand gestures of love, surprises and things, but those aren't the things that are romantic to me. I love it when he takes care of me. When we're coming home from camping or something and he tells me just to go inside and shower while he unpacks all the camping gear and cleans everything. Or when I feel really crappy and he just pulls me close and lets me cry. Just when he notices what I need without me saying anything, I love that.
10. Favorite "down time" activity: I know this is wierd, but I love working out with him. We just tease each other and play the whole time.
**Bonus** post one of your favorite pictures together

These are my favorites, (beside my wedding pictures of course!)I tag Beth, Caci, Annie, and Kristen.

Hootin' Annie

Having 2 kids and watching them interact has made me think about the profound effect my brothers and sisters have had on me. From my personality and temperament, to my adaptability, and even my interests.

One thing's for sure, growing up with so many kids in one house was rough, but having a big sister as a best friend made it a lot easier. So

here's my take on my friend, sister, and life-long role model: Annie is the one who taught me how to comb my hair, ride my bike, and take complements politely. We played Barbies, school, and orphanage for hours a day. She's the one who, when we went camping, would frolic with me in the tall grass, pick flowers, and play mermaid in the streams. This may seem like a fairy tale, and I wouldn't blame you if you stopped reading because it's so soppy. but before you quit friend, let me tell you that we didn't always love each other as we do now. I remember when I was so mad at her, I broke my Ken over her head. And one day, I came home to find this message, penned in puff-paint on our mirror: "Laura is a burrito-eating dork". It seemed to be a whole cycle of wrath between us; I would wear her clothes and stain them, she would tell something embarrassing about me to my brothers, so I would snoop through her stuff, etc. I'm not sure exactly when we grew out of it, but this I do know, Annie grew out of it first, and showed me unconditional friendship and love. She helped me through some of the hardest times in my life, never judging. I'd say that's her strength. She always believes there are two sides to every story, and gives other people the benefit of the doubt. That's why I can never have a really good gossip session with her because she ends up defending whoever I'm talking about and I end up realizing how pathetic and silly I sound. She showed me how to be a good wife and mother by always looking for ways to improve herself and grow. Just when I think I've matured enough to be on her same level, she blows me away with some deep, wisdom filled comment. This makes me realize that she'll always be my big sister, and I'll always have someone to look to as an example. Some may think of that as intimidating. I don't. I'm just grateful that I'll always have someone just ahead of me, showing me how it's done.

Things I love about Annie:

She always has some artsy project she's working on

She has awesome taste in music and shares new stuff with me

She sings great, and her voice blends perfectly with mine

She dresses super cute all the time

She always supports me in all my endeavors

She makes yummy salsa

She has a great laugh

She is very witty

She has great taste in movies (muppet treasure island!)

She is sweet and supportive to her husband.

and last but not least, she loves meeeeee!

Who knew?

Take the Quiz here!

Blessings

On the subject of blessings, I have several things to list:

First: Leila's blessing. It was a few weeks ago (Jan. 6)but (like almost everything), I neglected to post pictures and write about it. We actually had quite a turnout from friends and family, several people in my ward stopped and asked me afterward "Where did they all come from?". I simply had to explain that I have a very LARGE family and a fair amount of friends. Leila is such a blessed little girl to have so many people who love her already, and she hasn't even been here for very long!

Second: I feel so spoiled lately because of all the good things in my life.

- I am no longer pregnant and can move about freely.

- Jesse is out of a wheelchair and able to walk (or hobble, whichever you prefer).

- The cabinet shop is re-organizing to create less stress for Jesse so he can invest more in the family... and me :)

What a good year this will be! I am so excited for the summer to take my babies out and let them experience new things. I am glad I'll be able to actually participate in all the fun things because I won't have a huge belly. One of my resolutions this year is to let loose, not worry as much, and just have fun with my kids and my husband. I have been doing great so far, me and Cooper have so much fun playing blocks or painting... he's such a great kid! I guess we'll see how it goes for the rest of the year!

Funny Face

Lots of people have asked me where we got our adorable Christmas/birth announcement pictures taken. I am one of the lucky people who has found a wonderful photographer who I will always use and always refer people to. Deb Ouzts and her husband Mike have their own photography business called Funny Face Photography. I met her when she lived in my parents ward and asked her to do my wedding pictures. They turned out to be the BEST wedding pictures ever!!! She has done all of our family pictures since then and probably will forever! She is so cute and creative and captures everybodies personalities perfectly. She also edits the pictures and she actually designed the card I sent out to everybody ( I wish I could take the credit... but I can't). So here are some of my favorites from the latest photo session with Deb:

Ode to Lexi

This post is dedicated to my very good friend Lexi. Our relationship began when I started working at Centennial. It was Lexi's job to train me on almost everything (I feel sorry for her now.... I was such a clutz!). I felt at first like she loathed me... that she couldn't stand to be around me... but I found later that I was mistaking her loathing for our boss, which soon became our mutual loathing. Many things blossomed from this relationship to which I am forever indebted to Lexi: She encouraged me to move out on my own and experience freedom, she introduced me to my love, Jesse, and most importantly, instigated the "Mexican of the Month". The latter of which brought much laughter to my dull days at Centennial. Lexi was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day... she always brightened my work days with her humor and downright sassiness (she's a non-conformist if I've ever met one!).

We took many road trips, armed only with Teddy Grahams and cheddar cheese. We both went through crazy boys like they were tissues... Lexi maybe got more than her share of the crazies. I think Lexi is one of the most driven and loyal women I have ever met. I love how politically involved she is, and how intelligent and witty she is in everything she does. I admire her so much, I treasure the time we had together, she was a great example to me of independence. I learned so much from her and thank her for her friendship. I am greatful to be one of the few, the proud, the strong, the friends of Lexi.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLIE!!!

More pics of our BABY!

Here's Cooper covering her mouth while she yawns:And stroking her face:

The Full Story

Hey everyone, sorry about the suspense. I didn't keep you waiting out of selfishness... no, more like preoccupation with me beautiful new baby girl! Every spare minute I just love to sit and stare at her, and stroke her face and her abundance of hair (who knew she'd have a head full of wild hair?!!!).

Anyway, so here's how it went down:

Annie threw me a baby shower on Saturday Dec. 1. Poor Annie planned the whole thing and then when it came down to the day she had the flu! She perservered anyway and still hosted a beautiful shower, wich provided me and Leila with lots of wonderful things to start our lives together. This picture is of me at the baby shower, mere hours before I started having contractions! Ahh the bliss! Saturday night after the shower I didn't feel so well... and around 10:30 I found out why... I had the flu too! Coincidentally so did Jesse, so we stayed up all night together barfing and stuff... how romantic :)

We stayed home from everything on Sunday, and just as the nausea was dissapating, my contractions, which had previously been random and painless, started coming slightly harder and more frequent. How wonderful that she waited to come until I was dehydrated and all sick-y lookin' and Jesse was too weak to help coach me through labor (not to mention gimpy and wheelchair ridden). So my labor progressed throughout the day on Sunday and as the night came I knew that this was no false labor, as the contractions were getting harder and closer together. I tried going to bed that night, hoping that maybe I could get a little rest before I had to go to the hospital. No such luck. It seems that laying down made them all the worse.

I made Jesse stay in bed and try to get some rest while I watched some BYU Christmas special reruns on TV and tried to breath through my contractions myself. At my last doctor's appointment a week previous to this I had been dialated to 2 cm, so I was hoping to get quite a ways past that by the time I got to the hospital. I called Annie (who, if you remember, was also recovering from the flu) who came right over at 11:30 at night to help coach me through my contractions so Jesse could sleep (I don't think all sister's are as great as mine!). She rubbed my back in just the right place with just the right pressure, and made it so I could get through another hour at home. I came to a realization that I needed to make a decision. Do I try and go the natural route again? Do I go to the hospital and risk them sending me home because I wasn't progressing enough? (I couldn't bear the thought! That would be too horrific for me to handle, if I was in so much pain and they just sent me home!!)

I made the decision around 1:00 am to go into the hospital and get and epidural as soon as they would let me. None if this natural stuff, I was tired, in lots of pain, and neither me, nor my birthing coach were in any shape to go through this without some serious pain meds.

On the way to the hospital I wavered back and forth between being extremely grateful for my warm car (it was rainy and cold) and the warm hospital that would soon put me out of pain, and agonizing over whether they would just turn me around and send me right back home. Between contractions I cried to Jesse telling him to not let them send me back home.

After an hour of observation at the hospital I had only gone from a 3 to a 4. I was sure they would make me go home, but miracle of miracles... they called my doctor and he said I could stay! I told them I would like my epidural right away please and they rushed to make my room ready. As we were waiting, the bed next to us became occupied by an extremely "excited" pregnant girl who was having a hard time controlling her "excitement" about her contractions. It was just like in the movies! You know how they're all screaming and hyperventilating and stuff... I felt so bad for her! The nurses would poke their heads around the curtain and mouth "I'm sorry!" to me every so often. I didn't mind so much, I was just glad I wasn't her!

By 3:30 I had my epidural, and it took effect by 4:00. My mom arrived with Spencer in tow (I'm not sure why he wanted to come... but he did make all the nurses laugh). He was so excited he was almost bouncing off the walls... even the anesthesiologist offered to chemically sedate him.

I forgot to mention that the epidural only took effect on one side of my body, and I could still feel contractions on one side... it was kind of odd, but way better than feeling all of the contraction. I layed on my side and that seemed to help. The anesthesiologist had to come back every few hours and re-inject the powerful stuff into my epidural line (he told me it was the same stuff they use when people get a c-section... crazy!). There wasn't anything exciting after that until it was time to push a few hours later. The heavy medication the guy put in my epidural had worn off by then and I could feel completely EVERYTHING. The Doctor was on his way so the nurses were telling me not to push.. and as I tried to breath through clenched teeth I yelled "WHY?!!" Even though I knew perfectly well why, I just wanted to be difficult. I think I had earned the right by then. The Doctor raced in at full speed and they finally let me start pushing. (Even though I had kind of cheated and had been pushing anyway, I had been pretending to breath through the contractions) It only took about 5 contractions but it was most definately the hardest thing I have ever done. I could put up some video of me screaming and telling the nurses I can't do it... but I don't want to scare any of you (seriously, even spencer's excitement had died down and he was in the corner with a pillow over his head). But then, all of a sudden, there she was:

There were a few interesting things that happened after that... first of all she weighed exactly the same as Cooper... wierd... and second, the Doctor totally got sudged in the face when my placenta came out... he looked up at me blinking with all sorts of amniotic fluid dripping from his face and said "Well that's never happened to me before."
Also... can you believe all that hair?!!!