artwork for anna

Anna's room is decorated in a hodgepodge of some of my favorite things: Pop Ink Pattern Paper Dolls from French Paper Co., the pennant banner from my SU! shower (seen on the crib), tissue paper flowers that I made from a Martha Stewart kit (see the baby blessing post), and just great patterns like the crib bedding. I love all these things—but I had two problems. All the colors didn't exactly go together, and we didn't want to hang anything on the walls above where Anna sleeps—you know, being paranoid first-time parents and all—just in case.

So, here is my solution...I painted 12" x 12" squares directly on the wall with acrylic paint (I probably spent $25 on different colors of $1.99 paints before I found the perfect three colors—Travis is so patient with me! :) And then, the white numbers are from Stampin' Up!'s new line of Décor Elements (self-adhesive vinyl art). They were so quick and easy to apply! And there you have it! If it weren't for the bazillion coats of color changes, this would have been a pretty quick project. Ta-da! And now my little Anna has a focal point that ties everything in her room together. (It is what ever six week old girl dreams of! :)

Thanks, Trav, for being patient through yet another of my many "wrench in the routine" craft projects.

wrapped around her finger

So, it's official. Judging by this picture— Anna has Travis completely wrapped around her finger (or I guess Anna is completely wrapped around Travis's finger). Whichever way it goes, they seems to be each other's biggest fan. There is definitely something about watching the guy I married with our baby that just gets me right there. I love it!

So the other day, Travis got up early with Anna so I could sleep in a bit. (What a sweetie!) When I finally got up a few hours later, I found Travis and Anna hanging out together, and Anna dressed in this
onesie—which was definitely picked on purpose!

Ok. We all know no relationship is perfect all the time! :)

the best gift

Before I left on maternity leave I was working at Stampin' Up! as a product designer. I didn't know beforehand if Anna was going to be a boy or a girl, so my friends at work decided to throw me a baby shower after the baby came. Last week I packed Anna in the car and made the long commute once again to Riverton for the baby shower. (I don't miss the commute! :)

Anna received a ton of CUTE things, the lasagna (my favorite) was amazing, and the party favors and decorations were nothing short of SU! creative team's best, but I have to say that I received the best gift of all! When I arrived at SU!, I took the elevator down to the Atrium. As the elevator doors opened, I was welcomed with hugs and smiles from some of my very favorite people—people that I have really missed being around every day. The best gift ever is knowing that people care about you. I sure felt that this last week! Thanks to all my SU! friends. You are the best!

blessing day

On Sunday we were able to bless Anna at church. Travis, Anna, and I were thankful to be surrounded by a lot of family and friends. Anna sure has many grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins and more that love her very much already! Travis gave her a beautiful blessing. She is a lucky girl to have such a wonderful daddy.

As you can see in the picture, Anna wore a very poofy satin and tulle dress. As you have learned from a previous post, Anna is a bit wiggly. Let's just say that wiggles and slippery fabric are a dangerous combination. But, dang, she sure looked cute.

Travis served a mission in Portugal, and while his family was over there visiting, his mom bought these adorable knitted shoes. Anna wore them on her big day. Why is it that all tiny baby clothes are SO cute?

A big thanks to everyone who came and to everyone who helped make the day unforgettable. We love you all!

one month old!

Today Anna officially turned one month old!

pine valley camping trip

Each year our family gets together in Pine Valley for our annual Labor Day camping trip. For several years we enjoyed this trip with only the company of our aging family, but now we have added kids back into the mix. What is camping without kids? ... Far too civilized, I must say! :) This year we had Gracie, Parker, Drew, and Anna. It reminded me of how much fun camping can be!

It's a good thing germs don't exist when you are camping.
(The tear stain through the dirt is my favorite!)

Can I share with you, please? Yummy!

Mom, can you help me wash off my unibrow?

Parker seems to be the cleanest of the bunch!
Don't let him fool you! :)

Gracie loves taking care of Anna.


One of many camping casualties...


Camping cousins: Parker, Gracie, and Drew!