A picture of your night

Tonight was one of those relaxed, nothing going on nights. I love these. They really help me to get ready for the next day, and even wind down and go to sleep well at night. Plus, I was with my family all night. I love these 3 I am with here, and the one who is taking the picture (Blakey!).

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Gilmore Girls. I cannot even explain in words how much I love this show. The first time I ever saw it, Blake and I took a trip to my home while we were dating. He slept in the guest room. In the morning, I heard the tv on in the guest room, and the door cracked open. I went in, and to my astonishment, at 8 am in the morning, Blake and my brother Terry were sitting there watching Gilmore Girls. Although that irony made me laugh and laugh, I did not particularly like it at the time. But, several years later I needed something to do while I folded laundry, so I borrowed a neighbor's Season 1 of Gilmore Girls. I was hooked.

I adore these two brunettes and their love of food, small towns, and friends. If I need something to uplift me on a hard day, Gilmore Girls it is. Watching this show is like escaping into a world of sunshine. A world where you can eat as much as you want, gain no weight, live in a town with everything within walking distance, and be constantly surrounded by people who love you. A world where you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it.

Some Favorite Quotes:
Lorelai: And it's so hard to believe that at exactly this time, many moons ago, I was lying in exactly this same position.
Rory: Oh boy, here we go.
Lorelai: Only I had a huge fat stomach, and big fat ankles, and I was swearing like a sailor...
Rory: On leave.
Lorelai: On leave, right. And there I was...
Rory: In labor.
Lorelai: And while some have called it the most meaningful experience of your life, to me it was something more akin to doing the splits on a crate of dynamite.
Rory: I wonder if the Waltons ever did this.
Lorelai: And I was screaming and swearing, and being surrounded as I was by a hundred prominent doctors, I just assumed there was an actual use for the cup of ice chips they gave me.
Rory: There wasn't.
Lorelai: But pelting the nurses sure was fun.
Rory: I love you, mom.
Lorelai: Shush, I'm getting to the part where he sees your head... So there I was...

Lorelai: So, not only did you GO to a cop raided party, but you were the cause of the fight that caused the raid
Rory: Yes...
Lorelai: This fence is broken because of you. This crap is on the ground because of you
Rory: What's your point?
Lorelai: [singing] Did you ever know that you're my heeero. You're everything I wish I could be!

Luke: Me? Raising a kid? I don't even like kids. They're always sticky like they've got jam on their hands. Even if there's no jam in the house, somehow, they've always got jam on their hands! I'm not the right guy to deal with that. I have no patience for jam hands!
Lorelai: First of all, Jess is 17 so I think he's probably pass the jam hands stage by now. Second of all, you can do this. If you want to you are totally capable.

A picture of you and the person you have been close with for awhile...

Blake and I have been close for a very long time! We met when we were 16 & 17 back in the summer of 2000. We were buddies from then on, and then in fall 2004 became boyfriend and girlfriend, and then were married April 2005. I love this man with all my heart and thank God every day that we chose to be with each other forever.

Baby Piggy Tails

I know what you're saying. "Oh, no you di-dn't!" I'm here to say, "Oh yes, I did." I put Anndi's hair in two little teeny tiny pigtails on top of her head!I couldn't be more proud of those little sprouts of hair on top of my little girl's noggin. :)

A Picture of Myself with 15 Facts

1 - Blake is the best husband I could have ever asked for and I love him.
2 - Giving Caleb a hug brings tangible warmth to my heart.
3 - Anndi can make me laugh more than anyone else.
4 - My mom has the legs of a 20-year-old.
5 - My dad is my favorite running partner.
6 - I am so grateful for my brother Terry because being an only child sounds so lonely.
7 - My brother-in-law Thomas is serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I am so proud of him!
8 - The very first moment when I met Blake's little sister, Amber, I thought Blake was dating her, and I thought, "Dang it! She's so pretty!"
9 - My sisters-in-laws Lori and Tonia are two of my very best friends.
10 - My sister-in-law Madeline and my mom look like they could be sisters.
11 - Momma Haines is the best shopping partner I've ever known.
12 - My father-in-Law, Bill, gets the best parking spot in the whole parking lot everywhere he goes.
13 - Three of my very best friends have a husband named Chris. Two of them also have a son named Grayson, and the other one has a younger brother-in-law named Grayson.
14 - This post has a lot of "in-law"s in it.
15 - Cozmo, my pug, has gone from being 19 pounds a year ago to being 27 pounds now. He is fat.

Got this idea from Saramarie!

This is what I'm gonna do for the next 30 days:

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for awhile.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your night.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most ridiculous things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Sewing and sewing and sewing!

K so Nath totally got me into sewing when we went and visited her back in the fall. I already posted the halloween outfits I made, but I did not post a picture of the tie I made for Caleb. It was roughly done on Halloween morning right before church. Fun!

Hardwood floors create lots of sound-flow. So, I always put pillows at the foot of both of the kids doors. I decided something cute would make the hallway look better, instead of just two huge pillows. So I sewed these cute things!
And here is a blanket I made for Anndi girl. She hates it of course and prefers her little white "bay" that is now gray and stinky no matter how much I wash it. But I love this blanket! It is that cute bumpy material on one side and then the fur-cashmere stuff on the pink side. The trim is flannel-lined satin. It turned out pretty!
Shoes. Many shoes. I love making baby shoes! I made these lil fellas for a friends' baby boy. The pattern was for a newborn, so I made them a few sizes bigger, because he's not a newborn anymore!
More sewing posts to come. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE sewing!!!!!!

Cake Bakin' and Kid Carin'

We've been lovin' life here at the Haines home! Especially the kids. They love when I make cakes...

I got to make Lauren and Brooklyn's 3rd birthday cake! It was so much fun to create this princess castle! When I pulled it out of the fridge all done, Caleb said, "Ohhh is that a temple cake?" I said, "No..." Then he said, "Ohhh... is that a princess castle? Is that Tinkerbell's castle?" He loves the story of Peter Pan, even though he's never seen the movie. And apparently he loves Tinkerbell!
At Brooklyn and Lauren's birthday party, there was a lady dressed up as cinderella in a huge hoop-skirt dress. Caleb was staring at her and then finally mustered up enough courage to say, "Hi, Tinkerbell..." Then he made his shy face. So cute.
Lauren and Brooklyn are such adorable little blonde cuties. Brooklyn's favorite princess is Cinderella. And Lauren's favorite is Tiana. She looked at her cake and said, "That's me!"
We love when Daddy is home from work!
Chris, Scarlet, and Gray got Anndi this adorable outfit for her birthday (minus the hat. That's Caleb's). We love the Reece's!
Anndi says "What up, Gray? Wanna hang out?"

The most fun I have had in a long time...

One of my dearest friends growing up got married last weekend. Yay for Tessa!!! She was such a beautiful bride, and I know Paul was one happy groom.
Tessa let me make her wedding cake. It was white cake with cream cheese frosting filling and fresh raspberries, with a vanilla bean frosting on the outside. It turned out simple and elegant, and I was so happy to do it!Caleb was a little charmer all day in his black suit. What a great little three-year-old I have been blessed with. He behaved very well and was so sweet. At the ring ceremony, I was the only one who brought my two little kids... very little kids... and Anndi started fussing in the middle of the ceremony, so I got up and walked to the back to stand with her. Caleb followed me. Back there, he "whispers" to me, "Mommy I gotta go potty!" I reply, "Okay Caleb, don't worry this is almost over and we'll go home and go potty." The poor little guy whispers in distress, "The poop is coming out!!" It was not, he was just being dramatic, and he hung in there until we got home. It just was not proper ring ceremony conversation, you know?Julia and I got to hold the bride for a friends picture! Fun!So, Nathalie passed out the bells that people would ring at the end of the ring ceremony. When little Diane walked by, Nathalie reached in the basket and found the LARGEST bell of all, and gave it to Diane. We all giggled about it for half of the ceremony.After the wedding and the ring ceremony, Tessa and Paul had an elegant reception at a small bakery, Puffy Muffin. It was perfect! The food was incredible, and Anndi clearly loved the cake... Bekah helped me so much with Anndi the whole night, I was extremely grateful.
One of the best parts of the whole weekend was having Nath stay with me. I love this girl! We went to the gym twice. Sonic once... got lots of food... tradition. Also, Nath taught me how to use fondant to decorate cakes! And we had a great time celebrating Tessa's big day. Caleb followed Nath all over the house asking her questions about her two little boys. So cute. Can't wait to visit her again in Nebraska in August!
Oh and note the matching peacoats! Nathalie and Anndi both have a purple peacoat from Old Navy. They are so twins.

Caleb is Three!

Caleb had a hockey birthday party! We invited a lot of good friends and family to come join in pizza, cake, and ice skating!

Caleb helped me make his cake. He enjoyed pouring in the ingredients, and licking the utensils after I was done using them.

Anndi enjoyed eating pizza with Ga-Ga!

I still remember my 3rd birthday party. I clung to my dad as people sang to me. Caleb jumped in my lap when everyone started singing. He was so cute because he sang to himself too!

After pizza and cake everyone had a blast skating, even the little kids!

Happy Birthday, Caleb! You are such a special little guy and an awesome three-year-old! We love you!