Just because...

I can't believe how big my boys are getting. When I look at Quincy I no longer see a baby or even a little toddler; I now see a little boy! Of course he looks even more gigantic compared to Braxton. It amazes me how much faster time is going by with Braxton. He is no longer a "newborn" he's becoming quite the chubby little baby boy. It's crazy that he's 5 weeks old! I need to find more time and opportunities to take pictures, the challenge of being a mother of two is that I am kept quite busy... however, I wanted to take a moment to record some pictures of my boys.


Just because.

Each morning starts with this routine of playtime after breakfast.

During church this last Sunday many people commented on how big Braxton is looking and they couldn't believe he's only 5 weeks old.

This picture is of B in his new jammies from Uncle Trevor and Aunt Heather. They are size three months and as you can see... they fit just right.

I can never get Braxton to look at the camera... I guess he's a little camera shy.

Unlike Quincy who's very much the opposite.

A little profile shot... once again not wanting to look at the camera.

Not quite sure about 'playtime' with his big bro.

Witness the beginning of Braxton's rolls.

Looking pretty cute in his church clothes.

Doing a little swan dive form in his sleep.

This is pretty typical in our house. Quincy's all over Braxton, he loves his brother so much and Braxton has a look on his face that reads: 'Get outta my face bro'.

This is a cute one tho... despite Quincy constantly being in Braxton's face and bugging him, you can tell they're going to be great pals.

I love my boys!

Before and After Projects.... fianlly....

It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of my many before and after pictures...

First, one of my big projects was Quincy's big boy bed. In our ward in Boise we had the pleasure of knowing the Lines family. When they heard that Quincy was transitioning from crib to bed they so generously offered to give us a captains bed they no longer needed. Of course we gladly accepted. The bed was a piece of furniture hand made by a member of their family, and Tyler will attest that it is very sturdily made! The only thing I didn't like about the bed was that it was painted white. I don't think there are very many parents in their right minds who WANT white furniture for the toddlers. I've always felt that it just screams: "COLOR ALL OVER ME WITH CRAYONS, MARKERS AND PENS!" So the once white bed was repainted black. A very safe color for a little 2 year old boy, if I don't say so myself.



Second, I had a project of sewing some throw pillows for Quincy's bed and a matching changing pad cover for Braxton. I came across the fabric at Goodwill... although it was from IKEA originally. Since my sewing skills aren't anything fabulous, my capabilities include sewing in straight lines, my mom came to the rescue. I think we did a great job coming up with a useful way to incorporate that cute hippo fabric I bought from the Goodwill.


Third, were my projects in the living room. I was fortunate to "inherit" a piece of furniture from my great-grandma on my mom's side. She had this cute little coffee table that was made by her son in a shop class in high school. The best thing about the table, aside from it style and great quality, is that the legs unscrew for transporting. This little special feature was great when we were moving from college and lacked room for odd shaped things. I love the coffee table, but wasn't fond of the light colored stain on it. After several hours sanding and re-staining I was unable to get the dark ebony color I was hoping for. I spent another few hours re-sanding and stripping it to start over. This was the worst part, but I found the perfect way to refinish it.... with India ink. Yes, it's ink for caligraphy pens. After painting on the black ink, I sealed it with a smooth clear finish. I think that it turned out great. Now it looks more modern and goes well with our other furniture.


Fourth, was my lamp purchased from the salvation army.....I have found some of the best table lamps from second hand stores. This lamp was a lovely copper color, which wasn't so horrible, but not what I had in mind. Also, the lamp was missing the shade. No worries. I primed it with some spray paint and then then sprayed on a green color. I was able to find the perfect shade at..... IKEA. You've gotta love IKEA! And ta-da...... a brand new custom lamp.


Fifth, was my mirror project. This one was a little involved to say the least. This mirror was something else I found at the Salvation Army. It was regularly $25, which wasn't a terrible price seeing as how the mirror is 3X5 feet big, BUT I went on their 50% off day and so I got it for $12.50! Not too bad. After purchasing some wood from Home Depot and more India Ink.... I was back to $25, BUT mirrors are expensive, especially one of that magnitude. I don't feel so bad because now I have a custom mirror that packs quite a punch up on our wall.


Sixth, were my shadow box picture frames from IKEA. They were bought brand new, but I wanted them to look more custom.... SOooo I used some leftover fabric from the rocking chair I re-covered in Quincy's room to go over the mat inside he frame. I think they look nice and add a little more color on my walls... since I can't paint.

Seventh, was replacing some curtains in our bedroom. Now the curtains we had before weren't SO bad, it was actually one curtain turned sideways and cut in half to make two. a few weeks ago I just happened to be at the Goodwill down the street from us when I saw two matching 7ft tall, blue curtains that were brand new, still in the bag, from Target. Of course I had to get them. I only paid $19.98 for the both of them... which was less than half of what I would have paid for one of them alone.



And my Eighth and last project was Braxton's cradle. Again, while I was at the Salvation Army with my mom we found the perfect size cradle for Braxton. Although we have a crib, we never had a small bassinet or play pen for baby before they slept in our room. After comparing prices of play pens I decided that for the few months Braxton would be sleeping in our room this cradle would be perfect. It was $5.00.... and of course I managed to be shopping for it on 50% off day... so I paid a whopping $2.50 for it. Again, the white paint had to go... so I used the leftover paint from Quincy's bed. Then I happened to have a pillowcase from Quincy's new bedding that fit perfectly as a 'fitted sheet'. Everyone who comes over and sees it thinks it's the cutest thing, but for us it's just practical.



Stay tuned over the years, because I'm sure I'll have many more 'before and after' projects. If only I remember to take pictures!

Brotherly Love

Sunday Brunch...

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this... the internet wasn't working that well... and I never got around to getting this up....

Last Sunday after Braxton's blessing we went to my parents house to get together with both sides of the family for a little brunch. It was really nice of my mom to let us use their house... all in all I think there were around 25 of us or so. Trying to cram all those people into our little apartment would have been a little uncomfortable to say the least. So thank you VERY much mom!

Because everyone had to travel home on Sunday (the Howard's, Scotty, and Great-Grandma Rena) we managed to snap a few pics of everyone before they left.

All the Howard family, minus Derek.

The cousins on the Howard family side.... It was nearly impossible to get a decent picture of all three of them. This was as good as it got; Braxton is usually happy, unfortunately this was pre-feeding time for him.

Great-Grandma Rena and Braxton....

Grandma finally got to come see out apartment. It was so nice for her to visit.... and she brought Scotty, which we were very grateful for.

Our weekend for Braxton's blessing was wonderful.

We can't wait to see all our families again!

Happy One Month Birthday Braxton!

I can't believe that my little newborn baby is already one month old. On the one hand... it's exciting that he's getting older in the sense that we have to look forward to nights full of sleep. On the other hand I miss his skinny little legs that were once covered in wrinkly skin... those same little legs are beginning to show signs of rolls and chubby-ness. Braxton is starting to be more alert; each day he awake for longer periods of time. He is starting to make soft little noises.He has given us a few periodic smiles...and we can't wait until they become routine.




I thought I'd throw in this picture below because I thought it was funny. While I'm getting ready sometimes this is where Braxton likes to be... in the bathroom sink. Good thing he's still small enough to fit.

He is still one of the happiest babies around. We are so anxious to see him give Quincy a run for his money. We love Baby B!

Braxton's Blessing

On Sunday we blessed Braxton.

What a special occasion it was to have almost our entire families from both sides there to support us. Braxton was surrounded by Uncles, Grandparents, and his Dad. I have always been proud to be married to Tyler. He has always been a worthy priesthood holder and has had the privilege to bless both of our sons now. Although the blessing was short, it was a beautiful one. We are so happy to have Braxton as a part of our family.

The Howard Family comes to Portland!

Our weekend couldn't have been nicer.


Tyler's family drove from Utah and Idaho to be here for Braxton's baby blessing. Fortunately everyone, with the exception of Derek, was able to come. Unfortunately we only had a day and a half to cram in lots of fun. It's too bad they couldn't have stayed a little longer... there is just too much of Portland to explore. Maybe sometime soon they will be able to visit again.

Regardless we had tons of fun!

We first took them downtown to the Tom McCall park on the Willamette River.

Little did we know that the weather would be so cooperative. It was sunny and 65*.... nobody could have asked for nicer weather than that. We also didn't know that the Portland Farmer's Market had started.... so things were a little crazy there to say the least.

There was lots of things to see, smell, and do. (Although these weren't pictures from my camera... they are pretty accurate in representing some Portland Culture.) The Howard family was a little shocked to say the least! :)

Tyler got to try out our new Baby Bjorn carrier. It was pretty sweet!


This is how Braxton spent almost the whole afternoon....

We all sort of wandered around for a while.....

Later we decided to go to the Nike Store downtown. It was a bit of a walk, especially for Quincy- all in all we probably walked about 20 blocks. Boy was he the little trooper! It was so nice to see all the sights there are to see downtown. Mike especially enjoyed the many "cultural" statues. :)

Quincy and Jakoby working on sharing the basketball....

The cousins in their matching Jordan zip up jackets....

Probably one of the last times that Jakoby will be smaller than Quincy.......

With all the walking and lack of nap.... Quincy was tired to say the least. Fortunately, he was a pretty good sport. Here I am trying to get him to give the camera a little love.

That's all you've got Q?

Quincy thought this statue was pretty cool.

Posing with Grandma Teesy...

And speaking of statues... we saw this human statue outside of Pioneer Place Mall. He was pretty good....

After we window shopped in Nike, we decided to head back home. Everyone took a little nap and we got back together for dinner at the...
It was sort of a wait to eat, especially with a group as large as ours, but well worth it! Quincy and Jakoby had fun together...

By the end of the day we were all pooped! We decided to head home around 10:00PM and call it quits.

We cant wait to see everyone again!