Baby Shower - & the Non-Meltdown

 A little over a week ago, I threw my great friend, Tiffani, a baby shower.  I enlisted the help of many - Lois (Tiffani's grandmother-in-law) hosted it at her home, & Kirsten, Robin, Lindsey, Catherine, Stephanie, Tammy, & Ellie helped with decorations, games, food, etc.  The party turned out beautifully!

Catherine, me, Tiffani, & Kirsten

I took charge of the menu & Catherine helped by making the salads & an Oreo dessert thing (which was very good).

The day before the shower, I got a message on my voicemail from Lois, wanting to know the plans for the following day.  I told her the menu I had planned - bowtie pasta salad, spinach mushroom salad, orange rolls, & Asian chicken salad sandwiches - & then she asked, "What's for dessert?" (When we had first talked about doing the party at her house, I had asked if she could make some fruit tarts that Tiffani really liked, & she had said she would love to.  So I was kind of surprised when she asked what the dessert was going to be.)  I reminded her that she was going to make it & asked if that would still work for her.  She told me, however, that she wouldn't be able to because she thought she had broken her tailbone, & it would be too strenuous a job.  I told her no problem & that I would take care of dessert. 

I also forgot to mention that earlier this same morning, a friend of Tiffani's emailed me to let me know she couldn't make one of the salads because she was in the hospital in labor (I don't know why she couldn't just tell the baby to wait a few days ;).  So I hurried & called Catherine to ask if she'd be able to make both salads, & then my friend, Tammy, came over to help me assemble the sandwiches (quite a big process).  I also had her bring as many cookie sheets as she had & her Bosch mixer, so I could make cookies for the dessert.  Tiffani ended up calling when she heard what happened & came over for a bit to help out (bringing even more cookie sheets with her). 

If all of this had happened to me any time before January (when I was very unorganized & was easily paralyzed by fear of imperfection), I would probably have been on my kitchen floor in the fetal position, crying & thinking "Wo is me!" but instead, I thought to myself, "baby steps" & "keep calm & carry on."  When Tiffani came over, she kept looking at me, waiting for the meltdown, but it didn't come - it wasn't even on the threshold!  I was actually enjoying the fact that I could be calm & successful with last minute changes & really didn't care in the least that my workload had suddenly doubled. I felt like I could accomplish anything, especially since I had such wonderful friends to help me out. At the end of the day, Scott & I even invited Andrew & Tiffani over for dinner, & I thought it would be fun to try making German apple pancakes. Hey, why not? So with all of the "catering" stuff packed up & ready for the next day, we were able to enjoy a really good dinner with our friends.  When Andrew & Tiffani were leaving, however, I realized I still hadn't baked the orange rolls.  By this point, I was exhausted - the "I can do anything" buzz had worn off, & it hurt to stand.  I ended up baking two sheets of rolls, made the glaze, & while the third sheet was in the oven, I sprawled out across the family room floor & was out.  Scott finished the last two pans for me, & then woke me up to go upstairs.  What a day! 

orange rolls, dessert, & Asian chicken salad sandwiches w/ Japanese seasoned sesame seeds along the side (in the background)

bowtie pasta salad & spinach mushroom salad (I'd forgotten how much I love this recipe)

the dessert: Catherine's Oreo, chocolate covered ball things (back left), & I made peanut butter cookies w/ peanut butter cups in the middle, chocolate chip cookies, & jam thumbprints.  Lois made some really good chocolate mint cookies as well.

We all ate our food & socialized for a while, & then we played some fun games.  Then Tiffani opened her presents - she got some really great ones!

 Stephanie, Tiffani's mother-in-law, made a bunch of beautiful clothes, some quilts, & decorated wood letters spelling out "Caitlin." This is one of the many things that she made for Caitlin - I really loved it.

I'm so excited for Tiffani & was so happy I could throw her a party celebrating her soon-to-come baby girl. And thanks to everyone else for all of the help!

What do YOU do in your spare time?

Will runs around in his diaper with onesies stuck to his head - it's becoming a favorite.

Catch up

The reason I haven't been updating is that I've gotten so far behind, that the idea of catching up again is too overwhelming. So a quick recap of what's happened in my life since the racquetball tournament in December.

1. Will & I went to Utah to visit my sister, Susan, & her family.  William loved playing with his cousin, Leah, who is 3 weeks older than him to the day.  I have to admit that I loved that they were able to entertain each other so much, so I didn't have to keep a constant eye on him.  Susan & I went to BYU to check out the bookstore - I stocked up on a bunch of books & BYU baby gear for Will.  Susan & I also started a plan to get our lives organized - something we have both struggled with a lot!  (We've stuck to the plan for a little over a month now, & it has made a HUGE improvement in both of our lives!) While there, I also played the part of "the brave sister who cleans up the dog's nasty vomit loaf" - really, it was shaped like a thick rectangular loaf & was disgusting! Aren't I a good sister?  My good friend, Emily, & her husband Jason, also came over to my sister's for dinner one night, & we were able to visit.

Will kept getting stuck under the gate at Susan's house - he just couldn't seem to figure out that the point of the gate was to keep him out of the living room.

We also decorated Christmas cookies with all the kids.  Every year, Scott decorates a gingerbread boy in a speedo, so I decided to carry on the tradition for him since he wasn't there.  I also got tired of all the boring Christmas trees, so I turned mine into a rocketship.

2. Scott met me in Utah, so we could go to our niece's wedding - Thalia Rae & her new husband, Daniel, looked so happy together! We hung out with Scott's family, ate at The Garden (the restaurant next to The Roof in Salt Lake City), ate chocolate-orange cookies that Scott surprised me with from Ben's Cookies (they're so good!), froze in the wind & snow, went to a beautiful sealing & reception, Will played in the snow for the first time & slipped a few times on the icey sidewalk, we stayed in a great hotel suite with Scott's parents, & then flew home with William the day after the wedding.

All geared up for the snow while waiting for the bride & groom outside the temple.

I caught Will while his feet were sliding apart in the snow - he was a little worried.

I wish this picture wasn't fuzzy because I LOVE it! I love that they're walking in unison - such a cute father & son.

3. Scott worked Christmas Eve & Christmas Day (which also happens to be both of our birthdays), so Will & I went to my parent's for Christmas.  Will got a lot of fun presents from Santa, but of course his favorite gift (at least at the beginning) was a ball.  My brothers, Brad & Steven, & their families came over for Christmas breakfast & Pirate Bingo.  I then drove home on the 26th to meet up with Scott, so we could pack our bags & head off to Oregon to have Christmas with his family.

4. We drove to Oregon to spend a few days with Scott's family. I played "Twilight: Scene It" with my neices the night we got there. I was, not surprisingly, quite good at the game.  I know I should feel embarrassed, but I don't.  Scott & I also went to see "Avatar" with our nephew & niece, & I LOVED it! It is now on my "Favorite Movies" list. On the drive home from Oregon, William threw up all over himself & his carseat, so Scott & I had the pleasure of cleaning up the mess & then driving home for another two/three hours with the stink in the car. My guess is that Will got car sick going through the mountains & just couldn't take it any more - the poor guy!

5. We finally moved everything back to our house & got it organized again - it feels so good to be home!

Racquetball Tournament with Cliff Swain

Back in December, Scott played in a racquetball tournament, which he hadn't done in a really long time. He was so excited to play because his racquetball idol from when he was younger, Cliff Swain, was going to be there, & they were scheduled to play each other.

Scott after a rally where he was diving all over the place.

ready for the back swing

Will loved chasing the balls around (surprise, surprise) & was very interested in the games. The balls were going so fast (between 170 & 190 mph) that he jumped the first time he got close to the court because of the loud whistling sound it makes.

My mom & I watching Scott (laying down in the background behind the glass doors) while he rested between matches.

Getting ready to play against Cliff

Asking the crowd what they thought the call should be - Cliff wasn't happy with the answer.

My family came to watch Scott play as well (me with Rachel). They were shocked to see what real racquetball looked like & my brother, Steven, was still talking about how fast everyone moved weeks later.

Steven, my mom & dad, Brad & Drew

The end of the match - Scott & his partner lost, but just barely.  It actually turned out to be a really close game.

My Best Friend

Over the holidays, Scott, Will & I went to meet Caitlin, Olivia, & Kathy for lunch.  It was so good to see Caity & Olivia since they've been living abroad & will be for the next three years or so. Caitlin has been my best friend since we were born - we started together in Missouri & then moved to California just a few houses away from each other.  When her family moved to Tennessee, she'd come out to live with us every summer.  She then came to live with us our Senior year where we choreographed a bunch of dances together for our high school dance class.  Then we roomed together our Freshman year at BYU.  When we each got married, we were each other's Maids of Honor. Now she is the godmother of my son. We definitley have a lot of history together!

Me holding Olivia & Caitlin holding Will

Will & Olivia loved each other, as they should. They just kept smiling & talking together.

O Christmas Tree & Temple Lights

Tonight, Scott, my dad, Will, the Brad & Rach family, & I went to get a Christmas tree.  We started out going to an amazing Mexican restaurant in Oakland called Cactus.  The food was incredible, & I'm already wanting more! 

Will was very happy that we let him use a normal cup.

Isn't my hubby handsome?

After dinner, we went to get Christmas trees. My dad got a monster tree - it was huge & so beautiful.

Bob (Brad's business partner), my dad, Sammie Lou, Wesley, Rachel, Cole, Brad, Scott, William, & me

Then we went to the temple to look at the beautiful lights & check out the Visitor's Center.

The Oakland Temple: It's crazy to think that about 5 years ago, Scott & I were married here, & now we're back with our sweet miracle boy.

Nothing Like a Fat Man in a Red Suit & a Screaming Baby

We went to my parents' Ward Christmas Party tonight - to celebrate the season, eat good food, visit with family & friends, but most importantly, to see the fat man in the red suit.  Much to my delight, Will started screaming as soon as I sat him on Santa's lap - honestly, I was happy to get a "screaming child w/ Santa" picture - those are always the classics!

Bev w/ Carter (Will's cousin) & Silvia w/ Will