Random

Here are just a few of the things we've been up to: Loving on our baby. Making and decorating for fall. This is a GREAT time to decorate and craft! I love fall and christmas decorating!

I made this hurricane candle holder from a bunch of stuff that I had on hand and bought from a dollar store. It costed a total of about 4.00. It would have been cheaper but I got the base from walmart rather than a thrift or dollar store. I'm loving the possibilites.

The banner I made with burlap because when I saw Denise's things she had crafted with burlap, I just had to try it. Love it.

Fallon's new thing is finding any open drawer ANYWHERE and completely emptying it. This morning I left my pj drawer open and came back to find this. She was even wearing my bra! Sigh....they want to grow up so fast.

A Perfect Union

My youngest brother Michael got married to his Sweetheart; September in the Twin Falls, Idaho temple last month. September is an amazing girl and we are so excited to have her in the family. I didn't get any pictures of them (Denise did an awesome job at that) but I did get some of the nieces and nephews. They (nieces and nephews) are all so adorable and it was such a beautiful day.

The Fountain outside of the temple was a big hit

Hyrum and Vince a great buds......but don't get too close man.

The terrific trio of girls plus a couple of boys.

More Prayers Needed

David's sister Becky developed leukemia last year while we were still living in Utah. She went through several rounds of chemo, hoping it would eliminate the disease. After finishing her 5th round in October she was declared cancer free. However, they found out in August that it has returned and she will need a bone marrow transplant after which she has a 50% chance of survival.
I ache for Becky, her incredibly faithful husband Garon, and their 3 wonderful kids. I know that most of you don't know her, but I am asking for your prayers anyway. I don't know if quantity of prayers sways Heavenly Father's decisions, I wish I knew how it worked, I just know that praying is the only thing that any of US can do. Thanks

More Projects- DONE!

We have been in need of a new dining room table for a very long time. Finally my Mom found one for free that a friend was giving away. It was a good, sturdy table I just wasn't a big fan of the color. It was that out of date golden oak color with a wood looking laminate top so, we decided to paint it. It should be easy right? This thing was a pain in the butt! I decided to use spray pain because the legs were turned and it would be easier to get good coverage without any drips. They did great, but the table top was a pain. Bad coverage, the spray clear coat sealer went on blotchy and was rough and would scrape right off so we had to sand it down again and use a brush on polyurethane sealer. It worked better though it left brush marks and small bubbles. If I had to do it again I would add floetrol. It's supposed to minimize brush strokes and bubbles. Anyway, I liked how it turned out and it is Much bigger than our old one. Love it.

This was the waterfall dresser that Carla gave me that I decided to re-do. BEFORE Here is the After-I think I really like it. I got the hardware at a garage sale for super cheap but I didn't get enough to have them all be the same. I think I like it kind of mixed up like that though. Anyway. I've learned a lot about painting from these two projects and would do some things differently like: I'd use an oil based paint on this dresser instead of a latex water based. The latex stays rubbery and a little bit sticky but oil based doesn't and is easier to scuff. Also, using a paint condition helps minimize brush strokes and covers evenly. Penetrol added to oil based paint helps eliminate brush strokes as well.

Ma Baybee is All Growed Up

Much to my chagrin....cClare started school last week. How did she get to big? I had a hard time keeping myself together till I got outside of the school then out came the tears. Hyrum was perplexed and kept asking me why I was so sad. I got over it though and was fine the second time I dropped her off for school on Wednesday. Hyrum misses her so much when she's not here and gets really bored, Poor kid. I try to do puzzles with him and push him on the swing and play lincoln logs but it's just not the same. We miss Clare. Clare was so excited about starting school on Monday that she stayed up half of the night on Sunday working her front tooth loose and finally pulled it out at about 1:00am. She looks pretty cute without it. Good thing, cause I think it's going to take a while to grow in.

Clare on her first day of school with her LPS backpack and no front tooth and excited as can be. After numerous pictures she finally stopped me.. "Come ON mom!" Oh boy, I'm going to cry again......

Fashion Statements and Such

So apparently Clare has been paying more attention to the J.C. Penny ads in the Sunday paper or something because her sense of fashion (and poses) has blossomed......for better or for worse. Last week she came to me and said: "Mom, I want to wear this today." and when I turned around, I saw what "this" was. Long sleeved floral shirt, plaid shorts, argyle tights and pink cowboy boots. Sweet. I said "Yes, you can wear that if I can take a picture of you first." So Clare whipped out these supermodel poses (don't know where they came from.) to display her super sweet outfit. Love It.

She is growing up so fast and is so much fun to have around. Yesterday after some whining and crying she came to me and said through tears: "Mommy, Hyrum just pushed me right here!" pointing to her heart "right on the Holy Ghost!"

What a cutie.

Palmer Cousin Fun

We had a really fun weekend last weekend when we went to Utah to play with our Palmer family for a few days. We went camping Thursday and Friday then on Saturday we went to David's nephew Brad's baptism in Clinton and hung out there and at Becky's house on Saturday. Sunday we got ready slowly and came home. It was a very fun if exhausting weekend. Thursday night when we were up camping there was a really bad, long thunderstorm with rain and lightning, the works so nobody slept very well. Fallon was also teething and running a fever of 102 so she had a rough time for a couple of days. Here is Becky doing what she does best: Making delicious food. She made a really amazing strawberry cobbler off the top of her head up there. She had fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, a yellow cake mix, a cube of butter and some red berry flavored mt dew. It turned out sooooo good. I am going to have to try and make it some time.

Natalie and Clare. Clare had a ball with her cousin. She has missed her SO MUCH!Ty, and Natalie with my kids. Aren't they adorable? They played so good together and Tyler has go go be the best 9 year old there is. Love that kid.

Fallon was getting to know her cousins too. Here she is with Chase. Uncle Shane is the best snuggler of babies. He can get them to calm down/smile/sleep when no one else can. The Boyz. We had an AWESOME time. I have missed being able to spend time with our Palmer family. I am very blessed to have married into such a great family.

Potppouri

We've finally arrived at summer. Here's a few things we've been doing. Learning to sit up.(Fallon) and learning to be soft with the baby.... (Hyrum)

Camping at Grimmes Creak with friends.

Finding enormous frogs while camping.

Playing with friends from across the street......again and again and again. Actually, they never leave.

Home Body

Ever since I had my third adorable baby, I've become a big homebody. It is a feet worthy of only an Ironman champion to go shopping and do errands with three kids. In fact, I'm going to come up with an "IronMOM triathalon." The events will go like this: Start out at the front entrance of a Walmart super store with a three year old in your arms and pushing a cart. You will have a Pre-pared list of things that you will have to pick up through out the store. If you put down the three-year old, you are disqualified. the second event will be going to the city Library where your task will be to drag three children ages 5 and under around while being absolutely quiet. Sound easy? Hah! that's how much you know. Lastly, taking the afore mentioned three children, the contestants will enter a card store and you will have to pick out 3 perfect cards for three different occasions while keeping said children from destroying anything while holding one of said children in a car-seat. I challenge any triathalete to withstand these circumstances with any remaining stamina or energy. Okay, so anyway, that being said.......We did venture out last Satufday to try out David's new canoe on Lake Lowell. The kids had a blast, though David didn't catch many fish. I stayed on shore with the baby and read Glen Beck's book "The 7 wonders that will change your life."

We have also gone to the park a couple of times on the rare nice days we have had this spring. Can we say CABIN FEVER?

I just loved this picture because Hyrum was taking a nap, heard David come home and came into the kitchen to see him. Apparently he wasn't ready to wake up yet because we found him like this a few minutes later. He stayed like that for another half hour.
P.S. I have the Ironman Triathalon on my mind because there was just an Ironman Triathalon in Boise last week. I admire those athletes immensly. The amount of dedication and self mastery it takes to do something like that is incredible

Time flies by

We have been busy around here doing so many different things. The weather is FINALLY starting to get nice...sometimes. We've been working in the yard a lot and got a vegetable garden in. We'll see if it survives the little tornado who is my son. We redid the beds up front (pictured) and we also maintain the extensive yard of a previous landlord of ours. Between that, our kids, preschool, church callings, etc, we seem to maintain a steady level of activity. It's marvelous. Here are a few pics of stuff. My baby girl will be six months old this month. Sigh...I have felt so blessed to have such a sweet spirit in our home. She blesses all of our lives with her contagious smile and sweet attitude. There isn't one person in our home who doesn't ADORE her.

We ripped out the boxwoods that used to be in front of the house and extended and reshaped the beds then planted perennials in there. I am so excited for the plants to fill in the spaces. It didn't cost hardly anything either. 90% of the plants are starts from various places that I got for free! Thanks Carla, for your awesome contacts and getting us so many great plants. Another of my projects is to paint the trim on the house white.

Clare is a wonderful artist and could do this all day. Shelby gave me the marvelous idea of letting the kids paint on carboard boxes that we just folded out. I just let them use one of my foam brushes that you can get anywhere (keep an eye out for Michael's 20 for a $1 sale) for cheap and some craft paint. She has a BALL!

Another one of Fallon just because she-is-so-friggin-cute!

Projects Galore

These are a few of the projects that I have on my list of things to do. I have high hopes for all of them but we'll see...it may take me a couple of years to get them done especially since they all need to be sanded and I hate sanding in the garage cause then EVERYTHING gets dusty. But...the weather has not cooperated lately to let me do much outside. This little hutch will be painted and go above the toilet in my blue bathroom

Carla gave me this great vintage dresser and matching bedside table that I'm going to try and do something like this with.

This is my Grandmother Crook's table that she bought in the 1920's. We've used it as our dining room table since we got married but it's time to refinish it... Big project.

Paint this cedar chest that is currently in our bedroom and add a glaze to highlight the edges and it should be super cute.

I found this little jewel of an old window in our neighbors pile of things for the garbage man to pick up. Being the trained scavanger that I am, I snagged it with visions of shabby chic dancing through my head. David too one look and was about to throw it away (HORROR!) He just needs to catch the vision.

I also want to build a headboard for our bed like this farmhouse headboard. Excited about that, but I will probably need David's help.

Happy, Happy Birthday

My firstborn turned 5 on April 6. It's sinking in how fast my kids are growning up. Clare will be too big to sit on my lap soon! I don't want them to get big so fast, I want to be able to snuggle and love and kiss them for as long as possible....Anyway, I'm getting sentimental but here is the real reason for the post: Clare had her first real birthday party with friends over and everything. She had a princess party with a princess castle pinata and pink and purple everything! The girls decorated their own tiaras with sparkly stickers and had fun playing the whole time. Later Clare celebrated again with just us so that David could be in on the celebration too. Oh, my sweet little girl, I can't imagine my life without her.

This is not the original pinata. The first (homemade) one was sitting in the garbage can in a crumbled, melty mess. What went wrong?!!!!

All of Clare's birthday friends in their Princess crowns. You probably can't see how they decorated them but they all looked fantastic! They did a wonderful job!

The Big Tooth Castle in the Sky

Clare just lost her first tooth a week before her 5th birthday! She did have a little help from Daddy but there was no fussing or crying just a small yelp and then "Wow!" Of course, the tooth fairy came and left her a large gift. He's a lot more generous than I would be. I am not excited about the tooth-losing years to come. I HATED loosing teeth as a kid. I can still remember the popping sound of the tissue as it came loose and the taste of blood in my mouth. eeeeeewwww. Good thing David has a stronger stomach.

Extreme Bathroom Makeover-kindof

When we moved into our house Every square inch of floor space was covered in carpet with the exception of one out of the two bathrooms (yes, our kitchen has carpet too. YUCK!) The carpet in the other bathroom was a lovely dark orange. Dark cabinets with jack and jill sinks, and dingy off-white paint complemented the flooring and it was all topped off by a hideous brass dropped light fixture. David and I figured we could update and improve it pretty inexpensively so ........----new tile floors, tiled backsplash and tiled bathtub surround from leftover tile....new light fixture, and paint. TA-DAH! Before. ( sorry, my computer is acting up and I couldn't rotate it.)

After!David did an amazing job with the tiled backsplash! Love it!

I still need to put up the curtains and I'd like to replace that repulsive hand towel hanger and the sink faucets but all in all, I love it! It's so much brighter and more modern.

Updates

We have the internet again and I'm so glad to be back blogging. I will try to make this update short. We lived with David's Parents in Brigham City, UT till September of last year when we moved to stay with my parents in Oregon. My parents were helping us start the process of buying a house in Nampa. David got a job in Boise in October and we moved to a tiny apartment in Nampa as we waited for our house to process. It was a HUD house so it took a LONG time. We finally closed on our house on December 23rd and began painting and doing other updates and were able to move in in January. We LOVE our house. It is smaller than our previous home in tremonton. It is not new, and it's not fancy, be we love it because it's ours and its cozy. AND...we got a GREAT deal on it. I am so thankful for my Mom and Dad for making it possible. Our ward is amazing and I feel that we are going to be able to serve well here.

Fallon Elizabeth Palmer

Baby Fallon arrived November 27th 2010 after 3 hours of labor. She was my biggest baby by far at 7 lbs 15 oz. She has been perfectly sweet and beautiful from the beginning and our family has been so happy with her in our home. We named her Fallon after Fallon, Nevada - the town that my mother grew up in. She has been so much fun. She smiles all of the time, has slept GREAT since day 1, and has completely stolen all of our hearts. Clare takes such great care of her. Hyrum shares EVERYTHING with her...... David and I feel so blessed that our Father in Heaven has sent us such a beautiful, sweet, golden little spirit to teach us to love, share, and always trust in Him. Clare and Hyrum meeting baby Fallon for the first time in the Hospital. My sister Carla was an angel and took the kids while I was in the hospital. My parents then took them for a week during my recoup. My family rocks.

Fallon a couple of minutes after birth. She didn't even squak at all.

Beautiful baby girl.