30 by 30 Update

1) Have at least two children (one down, one to go! or more hah)

2) Get a good start on my coffee table book (that I will publish before I'm 50)

3) Be featured on a famous blog/site/magazine/or show (done!)

4) Photograph a birth (done!)

5) Cook a completely new meal every single day for a whole month

6) Cook a gourmet, 5-course meal

7) Make a beautiful, yummy, professional looking layered cake with fondant (almost there!)

8) Go on a cruise

9) Go to at least 3 countries, continents, or islands I've never been to before (two down, one to go)

10) Go to at least 3 states I've never been to before (one down, two more to go)

11) Go to NYC

12) Make pottery

13) Meet every person who lives on my street

14) Get in the best shape of my life (honestly, I could check this off. I weigh less now than I've weighed since probably middle school. I think my metabolism just changed after having Ellery. Nothing I'm doing on purpose, other than just trying to eat a little healthier. I'm also not running marathons or anything, but I never have, so I guess my 30-45 minute walks everyday (walking fast, pushing a stroller) would make this count? However, I'm not going to check this off yet, because I want to stay in shape, and re-get into shape after each baby. I'll make sure this is good right before I turn 30, and then I'll check it off (but always try to be healthy and somewhat in shape)).

15) Read the Old Testament

16) Read Jesus the Christ

17) Be comfortable sewing on my own and make several things (done!) (more on this below)

18) Get good at doing eyeshadow and actually wear it occasionally (done!)

19) Scan all of the photos I've been wanting to scan (done!)

20) Take a great photo of lightning

21) See the nutcracker (done!) (more on this below)

22) See Wicked

23) Visit a farmer's market (done!)

24) Go to a rodeo (done!)

25) Make a service jar and put something in it every day for at least a year

26) Reupholster a piece of furniture

27) Buy one piece of famous, classic furniture that I'm in love with 

28) See the majority (preferably all) of my best college girl friends almost or every year

29) Hike in Moab, Utah and take an incredible photo there

30) Go to the Manti & St. George LDS temples

So I just checked off Sewing and the Nutcracker:

 Just made myself a maxi skirt (Easiest thing in the world. Seriously. Two straight lines! That's it!)

 Made E several pairs of pants out of old shirts of mine that don't fit or I don't wear any more. Also insanely easy. One day I may force myself to learn how to sew a zipper or a button. But for now this works. My main thing with this goal was to get really comfortable using my machine, and now I am! No problems. And honestly, with how many amazing, detailed tutorials there are online and on youtube, I think I could make anything that's in the "easy" category. And that's good enough for me!

 Love that Buddha belly!

 Found a paci!

 Ellery playing with my sewing kit. I found her with this box on her head!

 I made these little black pants out of an old Shade shirt of mine that was too short.

Chocolate on her chin...

She loves stairs!

 Clay took me to see The Nutcracker! It was the real Moscow Russian Ballet. Seriously one of the BEST performances I've ever seen! Some of those dancers were insane! I'm in love.

(and Clay actually enjoyed it too! We love the music.)

Performed at SMU

August UT Trip

We got back a few weeks ago from a wonderful trip to UT. I'm so behind on blogging. I feel like Ellery is already so much older than in these pictures. For example, when we first got to UT, she was just barely getting the hang of pulling herself all the way up to stand. Now she's a pro and does it all day long. She hadn't been crawling for that long either and now it's hard to remember what it was like before she began crawling! She also didn't really know how to walk with us holding her hands, and again, now she's a pro, and I doubt it will be too long before she's walking on her own! We had to baby proof our apartment as soon as we got back to TX!

While in UT, Ellery learned several tricks: high fives, clapping, and some other funnies. She loves to mimic our actions, facial expressions, and even some of our words (she says "ya" all the time).

Unfortunately, Ellery learned another not so good trick while in UT. She learned how to throw a tantrum! She makes her whole body go limp, throws her head back and screams! Yikes! And she does it ALL day long now too!-Whenever I change her diaper or her clothes, dry her off after a bath, take away something she's not supposed to have, wipe her face and hands off, etc. ugh. But at least they don't last long (she's perfectly fine the second I'm done doing whatever it is she doesn't like), and she hasn't done one in public yet....yet!

BUT she's also recently become way more snuggly! She's never been a snuggly baby. Even as an infant, she preferred to be in her bouncer on the ground than in our arms. Now she'll sit in my lap and let me hold her for long periods of time several times a day (as long as she's distracted with a book or something).

But even with the tantrums, she's still perfect. She's sweet and smiley (and still always a good eater and sleeper!) and my baby. I love her.

She actually did GREAT on both flights! Happy as a clam the whole time and never even tried to crawl away!

While we were in UT we got to meet Mr. Ryker, my new nephew! We spent lots of time snuggling him and loving on him. Isn't he the most handsome little boy?! Dark hair and BLUE eyes! And such a sweet temperament.

Ellery had a blast exploring my parents house!

And her very favorite thing of the whole trip-chasing the kitty cat!

Poor Boy!

Ryker's baby blessing

I dyed my hair brown! Well, my mom dyed it and taught me how so I can do it myself from now on. It's lightened up a bunch since this picture, though.

Clay's sister, Lindsey and her hubs, Derrick came over for dinner one night.

Ellery loves Aunt Lindsey

My friend and I made another attempt at making a professional cake. A little closer this time, but still far from perfect. haha. I'll get it one day.

E liked the frosting

I love this picture of Ryker and his grandma!

My mom gave Ellery her very first hair cut! Her bangs were always in her eyes before, so she needed it! She did great because we let her eat the whole time haha.

Much better!

We took Ellery to go see some horses.

She was kind of scared of them, but definitely interested!

We visited friends from college!

Miss my girls!

I definitely wasn't able to see all of my old friends while we were there-not enough time! But we did get to see some, so that was great!

mmmm

E tried soda for the first time. She tried a couple of different types while we were there. Some of them she liked, and one even made her cry because it was so fizzy!

We also took a couple of days of our trip to head up to Rexburg, ID to visit my grandpa.

E and her great grandpa Linford!

E and her grandma

Ellery LOVED Donna, my grandpa's wife.

The boys had a ping pong tournament.

We visited my parents new house. They are building a home in Highland. It will be done probably this month. I won't share too many pictures though because I'll photograph it when it's done and cleaned, next time I visit. It's going to be awesome though. Here is part of the view.

The master bathroom. Obviously no hardware or sinks or anything yet (when I took the pic) and the floor is dirty from the construction, but it's gorgeous, no?!

The kitchen (missing hardware, backsplash, appliances, etc.)

We spent a little time at some parks. Ellery learned how to climb up stairs!

Oh she loves the park!

"No! Don't eat that!"

Ellery was slightly interested in Ryker. We didn't really want to find out how interested though haha.

We went to a fun pool in Lehi. E was amazed by all the people and things to look at.

Ellery got spoiled with some cute new outfits!

We went to the new City Creek Mall in Salt Lake. It was definitely nice!

I loved that they had the original creek running through the mall.

We did lots of stroller rides. The weather was so nice!

Ellery started putting her entire pacifier in her mouth-like a mouth guard! She does it all the time now.

Being silly with the gramps

Playing with a neighbor baby

Ellery does not like grass. She was hesitant to put her hands and feet down on it.

haha. Don't worry. She was fine.

Ellery enjoyed knocking down block towers.

Now that she's standing up a lot, she keeps bumping her head!

Even standing in her crib all the time now! So big!

And just for fun. A comparison of Ryker and Ellery in the same outfit (one that was my little brother's when he was a baby). Although Ellery was only a week old in that picture on the right and Ryker is 6 weeks old on the left. Doesn't Ellery look so different now?! Kind of a funny picture of her.

Utah, we miss you!