It's that time again!

Time for me to clear my completed layouts off my desktop and share them with everyone!

Very Romantical...

I realized that I never did post about our Valentine's Day. Traditionally, Aaron and I have never done very much, since we prefer to focus on our birthdays and anniversaries. And we figured that buying gifts for each other is kind of silly, since it comes out of the same checking account. We usually go out to dinner, and that's really about it. This Valentine's, we decided to do something a bit different. Dinner, a movie, and a babysitter can wind up costing close to $100 if you eat somewhere nice and get a popcorn and a drink. Yikes! And really, isn't Valentine's about celebrating and strengthening your relationship? Aaron and I both follow several financial blogs that are aimed towards saving money, and they had several great ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day. So we decided to give it a whirl. First, we picked out a menu from the Food Network that we could prepare together. We fixed the kids a simple dinner and then sent them upstairs to watch a movie. We both got dressed formally; I wore a dress from Preference (the girl's choice dance at BYU) and Aaron wore his black suit and tie. I created a playlist of romantic songs and together we made dinner. Here's what we made: Caramelized Pancetta and Fennel Salad We were hesitant about making this, but it was our FAVORITE. It was so amazingly delicious, I think I could eat it every night. Roasted Asparagus This was an easy and elegant side dish. Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Aaron's thrilled anytime I agree to make seafood! Chocolate Covered Strawberries These were so much fun to make together! And, surprisingly, they turned out exactly like the photo! We made sure to set the table properly so that we had a restaurant-like atmosphere. I even picked up some Martinelli's and champagne glasses and scattered the table with rose petals. After the food was prepared, we put the kids to bed so we could eat in peace. We ate by candlelight. (Can you believe that I have no candlesticks? I had to improvise with a hurricane lamp.) We let the music play while we were eating, and then afterwards danced in the kitchen. Cute, huh? It was honestly the most fun and romantic Valentine's we've ever had. And one of the least expensive!

Sleeping Beauties

I'm going to say something that's not frequently heard: I have 3 children under 4 (including a baby) and...I'm not sleep-deprived. Honestly. How many women can say that? I have the best sleepers in the entire world. All of my children started sleeping 12 hours a night by 3 months old. When people would ask me how I did it with Katie, I would just laugh and say, "Just a great baby!" And then when Paul did it too, I said, "Just lucky, I guess." Now that Averi is also sleeping through the night, I'm starting to wonder. My three children are as different as three kids can be. So it must not be the kids. And after three in a row, I'm starting to think it's not just luck either. I MUST be doing something, right? So I thought I'd write down some of the things I've been doing with my babies to get them to sleep. This list isn't exhaustive, and it may not work for everyone. But it has worked for us, so I thought I'd share them with you. 1. Start at the right time. Honestly, I think that babies younger than eight weeks old are too young to start sleep training. But 8 weeks will fly by, even with no sleep. 2. Decide how important it is to you. Anyone who knows me knows that I cherish my sleep. Without 8 or 9 hours, I'm a mess. So sleep was VERY important to me. If it's not that important, it may be hard at first, and you may be tempted to just give up and let the baby dictate when and where she sleeps. So decide early on just how important getting enough sleep is to you. 3. Decide on an ideal bedtime. For us, it's been 8:00. That gives us plenty of time to get dinner and even run some errands in the evening if we need to. It also means they're not waking up too early. All of our kids go to bed at 8:00. At first, your baby will be on no sort of schedule at all. So watch her for a few days. See if you can find a pattern in when she sleeps. If she tends to go to sleep around 10, try putting her down at 9:45 the next night. Then 9:30...until you've reached your ideal bedtime. Then put her down at that time EVERY night. 4. Find a quiet place. During the first few weeks, you'll want your baby close to you, since she'll be waking up so often. But you'll want to find her her own quiet place soon. All of you will sleep so much better that way. For us, it's our closet. Don't worry--it's not as bad as it sounds! It's quite large and has a window. We've set up a nice portable crib in there, and it's works extremely well for us. It's close enough that we can get to it easily, but it has a door that shuts and it remains quiet. 5. She's gonna cry. I have never talked to anyone who had a baby that didn't cry during sleep training. They will cry. And that's okay. If they're fed, changed, and safe in their crib, it's okay to let them cry. 6. Set a limit. It's heartbreaking to hear your little one cry. So set a limit. Decide that tonight you will let her cry for five minutes before you go and pick her up. It makes you feel like you aren't just sitting there doing nothing. Then increase that limit. You'll find that as you continue with sleep training, she'll start to mellow out as you reach your limit. So when your 10 minutes is up and you can tell she's calming down, leave her a little bit longer. Soon she'll be asleep. 7. Just leave. If you can't stand hearing your baby cry, just leave. And don't bring a monitor with you. Take a note of the time and come back after your designated time. Nothing's going to happen to her while you're gone. 8. Put her to sleep while she's still awake. Honestly, this works wonders. They learn how to calm themselves down and will be able to use that skill when they wake up during the night. 9. Keep it calm. When your baby does wake up at night, keep it very calm. Have the room as dark as possible. Don't smile or talk or play. Avoid eye contact, since this stimulates them. Only change diapers if they're poopy, and then do it as quickly as possible. Feed her, and then take her straight back to bed. 10. Let her put herself back to sleep. After she's going to sleep initially on her own, you'll want to start using the same skills during the night. If she wakes up, give her 5 minutes before you get her to feed her. Then 10. Then 15. I've never gone longer than 15 because if they're crying that long, they're usually starving or not feeling well. 11. There will be setbacks. Sickness and vacation always throw off sleeping schedules. You may feel like you're starting at square one, but it usually only takes a week to get them back on schedule. 12. Enjoy! It only took a few weeks of sleep training for our babies to start sleeping 10-12 hours during the night. And they have all been such pleasant babies. I'm convinced that almost all grumpy babies are simply sleep-deprived. Once they start getting good, solid sleep, you'll notice a world of difference in their attitude and yours. Averi at 6 weeks

It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake...

When you've got three kids, you're supposed to at least pretend to be an adult. Which means that bright pink hair is out. This is unfortunate, since this clip from Lazy Town really makes me want to dye my hair P-I-N-K. And for those of you who have been fooled into thinking I'm somewhat conservative, I have had just about every color of hair under the sun. Including purple. But never pink. And now I want it! I've also had this song stuck in my head all day, since Katie and Paul wanted to watch it about a million times last night. How did I grow up without You Tube?

On the Catwalk...

Katie LOVES to have pictures taken of her. So when I suggested we go outside to take pictures of her new outfit (from Target, and less than $20 for jeans and a shirt!), she was all over it. I had her play on the slide, and I got some adorable pictures. The lighting was a bit harsh since it was noon, but it gave me an excuse to play around in Lightroom (hence the very post-processed look in the last picture). This was one of the few times when Katie didn't insist on having an extremely fake smile in every picture. Paul even cooperated a bit so I could get some of them together. I love how these turned out!

LOLCats

I love LOLCats. Aaron laughs at me, but I find them ridiculously funny sometimes. Maybe you just have to be in the mood...dunno.

Baby Essentials

So I've been given the go-ahead to make a big announcement.... . . . . Ready for this??? . . . . I'm... . . . . going to be an AUNT!!! (And you thought I was going to say I was pregnant! HA!) My sister Heather is expecting October 5th, and this will be the first niece/nephew for Aaron and me. Which means our kids will finally have cousins! So in order to celebrate, I thought I would do what I do best...go shopping! But virtually. Sorry Heather. So here are our MUST HAVES: We have not one, but two, of the original Diaper Genie. I think I would die without one. Making a trip out to the big garbage can is not feasible every time you have a poopy diaper, and these really do keep the smell out. The Boppy has to be one of the most wonderful things in the entire world. They have so many uses: you can sit on them post-baby (and trust me, Heather, you'll need it), they're ideal for nursing, great for propping the baby up on, and it's perfect for older siblings who want to play house. Plus you can get all sorts of fab (and washable!) covers! Tell me that this isn't completely adorable: Next item on our list: You definitely need a really great carrier. I much prefer the wrap to the Baby Bjorn type of carrier. It's much more comfortable for me, and it holds the baby closer, so you're not spilling the baby when you lean down to unload the dishwasher. And loveyduds on Etsy has a million darling fabrics you can choose from! In a similar vein, you'll definitely want a nursing cover. You can buy them all over the place, but make sure it has boning in the neckline and an adjustable strap. Also be sure to get a lightweight one. You're body temperature is naturally high when you're nursing, and you'll be boiling with a baby and a blanket. You can order a nursing cover to match your wrap at loveyduds (if you're into that thing, and you know that I am). And for our last non-obvious essential: Get a really nice Pack and Play. Really, don't skimp on this one. Ours have slept in this instead of a crib until they were quite old (at least 9 months), and I have loved it. It's much smaller than a full-size crib, so you can fit it in a lot more places. In addition, when you go on trips, they're already in their own bed, so you don't have a real adjustment period. And we use all the additional features, including the music and vibrations. It just makes life that much easier. So now I have an assignment for everyone who reads my blog: what are your baby essentials? Link us up! And stay tuned for part II: Really, really really cute stuff that is not essential, but it becomes so once you see how adorable it is.