My First Completed Quilt

Some of you know that I had taken up quilting as a mini-hobby a couple years ago, so I thought I would post a picture of the quilt that I finished first. This quilt uses patterns that were commonly used in the 1920's and '30's. I pieced together 13 different 12 inch squares and then added 12 more squares with the same pattern to put in between the different ones. I added borders and corner squares using fabrics already in the quilt. I stippled the whole thing, since that was the easiest for me (as opposed to quilting in specific patterns or doing a "stitch in the ditch"). Without my mom knowing it, I was making this for her. She asked me about it all the time while I was working on it, and I certainly enjoyed keeping it a secret from her that it was for her. I sent it to her last year for her birthday/mother's day gift. (Her birthday is approx. 1 week before Mother's Day.) I had to stay up pretty late into the night after the kids were in bed in order to sew.
I actually haven't done any more sewing or quilting since Alina was born in August, because I am just too tired to stay up any later than the kids. When I start getting more sleep at night, then I will stay up late to work on another quilt that I was working on before she was born. That one is a Civil War Underground Railroad quilt using darker fabrics more typical of that era, and the squares are patterns that were used as codes for the underground railroad.

Easter Egg Hunt

Our family drove over to JD's aunt's house in Midvale for an Easter dinner and egg hunt. Danny and Sam really enjoy running around the yard looking for the eggs. Alina even got into the act. I'd post a video of her holding an egg, but JD recorded it sideways with our digital camera.

Easter

The boys are excited about their Easter baskets and wait for me to open Danny's. Sam is holding a dinosaur that was in his basket, and Danny is holding a little clothes pin bunny we made at the library after reading time.

This is Alina in her Easter dress. Her Grandma Zimmerman is holding her in our living room.

A Huge Grin

Alina frequently smiles with her tongue hanging out. We think it's pretty cute. This picture was taken in March after church meetings.

Alina's First Ice Cream Cone

The title of this picture might have worried some of you moms who know that you don't give babies under a year ice cream and milk. We didn't give her any ice cream. It's just the cone! She still likes it. Although, I'm sure she'll like it more when there is ice cream put into one for her. This pic was taken at grandma and grandpa Zimmerman's house during General Conference after I finished the race.

Provo Half Marathon

I finally ran in a half marathon. I had been training on and off since Alina was born. The timing and location of this race worked out the best for me. It was held on April 5th in Provo, UT. The weather was quite chilly that morning, and I had a cold, but I survived! It was a really good experience for me, because now I know I can do it. 5 years ago, I never would have imagined I'd be running these kinds of distances. I have a goal to run 2 half marathons this year, so I have one more to go. The plan is to run one in August when the weather is a little warmer, and I've had a chance to drop a few more pounds. Anyway, Alina and JD greeted me at the finish line in downtown Provo. Alina didn't want anyone else to hold her once she saw me.

December Dump

The snow really piled up. This was taken after one snowstorm ended. Danny is in our backyard on the deck.

JD and the boys in our backyard

Here's our first snowman for the winter. For those of you who haven't seen our house, this picture lets you see a good portion of the front.

Some November 2007 Pictures

Alina has a big grin for you! She is approximately 3 months old here.

Danny is a great helper. He always wants to be involved. He's getting the Christmas tree box open, so we can set it up. We set ours up just before Thanksgiving this past year. Maybe that was a little early, but the kids liked having it set up.

Daddy's little princess. JD adores his little girl. Here we are in the foyer of our church. (BTW, I realize that I have to rotate the picture on my computer and save it first before uploading it to this blog for posting. I'll have to start doing that in the future, but for now, I'm being a little lazy in order to get these up quicker.)

This was taken in November 2007, so she is 3 months old.

Wii Love to Play

This was recorded in February of 2008. They were having lots of fun together. With JD as their daddy, are you surprised they like video games?

October 2007 Pictures

As you can see, Sam enjoyed painting more than the pumpkin.

Sam painting his Halloween pumpkin. Danny wouldn't let me take a picture of him.

Again, the rotating thing. 2 months old.

Danny went through a phase of not wanting his picture taken. He'd hide whenever I got out the camera.

Pretty in Pink