I'm sitting here trying to decide who's quilt to call this. We do have a name picked, but for some reason I cannot commit this time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the name we have picked, but I keep hearing/seeing these other names that are super unique {like they have a popularity ranking in the 300's in Baby Name Wizard} and I'm drawn to them. Anyway, for now this will continue to just be baby boy #2's quilt. Plus I'm sure you'll all love a good surprise. :)
I hand stitched each square in this bad boy, AND all the binding. This way there is no denying how much I love this little boy already. Here is 29 weeks and a few days. It's probably the only belly shot I'll put up because to be quite honest I despise how I look from the side. So unnatural for me. Plus, I look like I did at about 38 weeks with Caden, so I'm a bit frightened to see me at 40 weeks with this kiddo. On another pregnancy note, I found out I do have gestational diabetes again. I told myself at the beginning of this pregnancy that I would not be dramatic about it if it happened again. I just wish I'd been smart enough to push the test off til after Halloween. :)

Well, I'm off to take our little giraffe to the law school halloween party.

Discovery Gateway.

Grandma and Bumpa Phipps came for a visit, still are actually. Of course Caden's in heaven with all the attention. But his favorite day by far was our trip to SLC to Discovery Gateway. This place is FANTASTIC. Totally recommend it! There was so much to keep this little guy entertained and running back and forth. By the end of the day he was exhausted. Shopping at the local market Steering the crane ~ Playing PlinkoPutting the food into the fridge

Learning to iron while being tortured by dad's puppets As the pictures show: He LOVED driving the big red car. He kept spinning the wheel as fast as he could, then looking up with the biggest grin. He was also a huge fan of the magneatos ~ can we say thank you for the Christmas present idea!Bry disappeared for awhile. I found him doing this ~ getting complements for his amazing snowflake. Apparently it flew the best. Way to out smart the little kids Bryan. Playing big blocks with Bumpa and GrandmaSeriously, this place is WONDERFUL! There's a water exploring area, a farm area, bird house, music, helipad...

This week Caden also learned to do somersaults. Unfortunately, he decided to try one outside of Outback on the cement. Yeah, the picture says it all. And then the next day he climbed up on the kitchen table, and before I could stop him he fell, giving himself the biggest fat lip ever. He looks like a UFC fighter, and not a good one at that.

Old People Have it Right!

I'm beginning to believe that old people have it right.
Two married people. Two beds.

Few nights ago I was dead asleep.
I wake up to a hard smack right in the nose.
My husband, who of course is sleep talking/walking/domestic violencing, says to me, "I was trying to catch the baby before he fell off the changing table. That was a close one."
I'll say.

So like I said, I think old people may just have it right.

Projects Galore

Our house has turned into one big craft room. My kitchen table is covered with cardboard; My counters are covered in paint and brushes; My family room has big pieces of wood against the walls; Fabric has taken over my end tables. Bry and I have been working to get Caden's new big boy room decorated in a way we love but also as inexpensively as possible. We're mixing a very contemporary quilt with jungle animals, so as he grows we can take the animals away and the room still works perfect! While we were down at the Quilt Shop we found these adorable elephant and lion wood cut outs. I wanted them so badly because the colors matched the bedding exactly, but I was not about to pay what they were asking, so Bryan--who I'm learning is even more talented than I thought--said he'd make them. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical. He took a picture and headed to Lowes.

DIY Total Cost: $15.

Here is the final product. You can't tell but they are actually 3 dimensional because the elephants ear is a separate piece of wood and so is the lion's main. The elephant is about 2 feet tall, and they'll just lean against the wall on his dresser or bookshelf. I could not believe how exact they were to the originals.

DIY Total Cost: $12.

Our next project: Canvas wall hangings. The picture is missing the 3rd zebra painting, but you get the idea. Bry came up with the genius way to use photoshop to make cut out templates, so even though neither of us are artists we painted these 16x20 pictures!! Like I said, I'm pretty impressed with my husband's hidden talents.

DIY Total Cost: $10.

I've also been busy making Caden file folder games to keep him entertained during church.

Lastly, I made Little Phipps #2 a quilt. Not quite done with the binding, so I wont post pictures yet. It's definitely not perfect since it's my first. Even so, I'm in love with it!

My next project for this little guy can be found at Ohdeedoh.
Wood Photo Flashcards.

So excited about this one!!

*4 Years*

And I just had to post a picture of our 4th Anniversary from last night. My grandpa says that the best marriages happen when both people feel like they are the luckiest person in the entire world. Without hesitation I can say that I feel that every day of my life. I've been blessed beyond measure because the Lord placed this wonderful man in my path. I will forever be grateful for that sunny October day that we were sealed in the Temple for eternity, and continually grateful for each day we are able to spend together. What else can I say?!? I'm in love.

Petting Zoo

This week was Bryan's placement break. Hallelujah! So nice to have him home. While many more job and clerkship apps were filled out we did manage to have some fun in between! We decided to take Caden to the Petting Zoo at Gardner Village. I didn't really know what to expect, seeing as though I've never been to a petting zoo, so when we walked into a gate completely open to all the animals I was surprised. I saw these goats with big horns wondering free and thought--oh no. Apparently these animals are used to child abuse because they don't even give you the time of day-- A bit like my son was with me around these animals. At first he was a bit hesitant but after about 45 seconds he was running from one animal to the next. I wish I could have captured this moment better. He liked the goat horns the best. He would grab on and shake their heads back and forth. If they were laying down he would grab the horns, pull their head up so he could look in their eyes and see what they were all about. My favorite thing was how he pet the animals. We tried to show him how to do it nicely but he didn't have time for that. He would tap, not so gently, their fur and then run to the next one. I counted about 30 animals and he touched them all at least twice. I'm not sure why but the pot belly pigs were his least favorite. He tried to pull on their ears but they wouldn't move their heads for him like the goats would. He even got to pet a baby cafe. And don't worry, I washed his hands like 17 times afterwards. :)

Over-crowding at the Zoo...

These first pictures are mostly for Aunt Tami. Caden has a very special bond with his Aunt Tami, maybe because she's the one who's providing him with cousins, or maybe because she's his toy supplier. Either way every time she'd leave this summer he'd start bawling, hysterically bawling. He doesn't even bawl when I leave...

So I don't know if, because of Tami's absence, he has replaced her with her toys or what, but he loves them lately. And it cracks me up. He has me set up the zoo gate and then fills it full of the ALL the animals. When he plays with the zoo train he insists that the lion and the alligator can share a box car. Clearly, animal relationships are beyond him. And these are just some more pictures of my baby turning into a little boy. It's crazy to me how they just fall into their gender roles. He's started making car noises, throwing things HARD, and climbing everything. Though, the other day he did find one of my old pink purses and put it around his arm...don't tell his dad.