Rock Star

Yeah, this video is 1 min and 20 seconds of Ella rocking on her horse. A little long...unless you are Grandma Lota and watched the last video 10 times in one day. If you make it to the end the last few seconds are pretty cute.

You're invited

Blogging Games

I saw this on Britt's blog. She is one of the most talented people I know, and I really want something cool from her. So I'm jumping in. Don't feel obligated to play...my handmade stuff isn't as great as Brittney's or as tasty as Jill's. But I do make a mean burp cloth.

So, here's how it works: the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year a homemade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you are going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift.

Jibber Jabber

So I've been trying to teach Ella to say da-da-da, ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma for about 2 weeks now. Nothing. Not a single hard consonant. Then she spends one afternoon with Grandma Lota and Aunt Wendy and she comes home with this little trick:



(Of course, as soon as she sees the camera she is only interested in the flashing green light...and I kind of sound like I should be on Toddlers and Tiaras...but you get the idea.)

Apparently she also learned to play the piano and make blowing noises. When she's ready to learn to read we are sending her to Brigham.

Also, she has a tooth! I tried to capture it here, but no luck.

Beck and Jer

Did you see the new button on my sidebar? Did you wonder, who is Beck? Who is Jer?

Well, Jeremy is one of my very most favorite people in the whole world. We went to medical school and residency together. He is one of those rare people who is universally liked. I honestly have never heard anyone speak ill of him (which is something I can't say for many residents...we are sometimes a little catty. It's the lack of sleep and abundance of stress, I'm sure.)

Anyway, he is really a great person, and he and his wife have been through some tough times. They are trying to adopt a baby and have created a web page to help their cause. You can check it out here. His sister-in-law is the infamous cjane, and she blogged about them here. She does a much better job than I of singing their praises, but I would echo everything she said. Check it out. Maybe the blogosphere can help this deserving family.

Something New

If you're bored in the kitchen and looking for something new and different, check this out. It is the Harlem 1st Ward cookbook, created by Jamie's Young Women. Jame tells me that there are some really great recipes, and some that are...well, unique. Either way, it's only $12 and goes for a good cause. You can email jamie at jamiesuewride@gmail.com or me at alissapacker@gmail.com if you want one. (The above website is actually one of Kimmy's friends who is in Jamie's ward. Small world.)

Good Deals

Albertsons is having a "stimulus package special" that goes until April 15th. If you buy a gift card over $200 you get 10% off, up to $1200. They don't expire, so as long as you don't lose them it's a great deal.

Video for Grandma Janet

Just ignore the silly mom in the background (actually the foreground--I'm not a great videographer...)

Ella's 7 at 7

1. She has discovered other children. She makes a soft "oooohhhhh" sound whenever she sees another child and gets really excited.

2. She loves to clap and bang. She started by clapping your hands for you, then moved on to banging toys, and now if she's in a very good mood she will clap her own hands.



3. While she is loving solids, they are not loving her. If we don't give her plenty of prunes and apple juice we run into serious problems. Not fun.

4. She eats her shirt or her sleep sack when she is tired. This makes her sleep sack kind of gross.

5. She is learning to stand. She can only do it for about 30 seconds before she falls down, but she is very proud of herself.

6. She rashes up at the slightest touch. You kiss her cheek and instantly it is red. She scratches her head and has a HUGE red line. Luckily the red marks disappear as quickly as they came.

7. She loves her mesh baby feeder. I've tried pears and frozen bananas--it keeps her occupied for a good 20 minutes. Very handy when I'm trying to make dinner.

Klepto

Since Ella was born I have become a shoplifter.  Not the kind that wants free stuff. Not the kind that gets a thrill out of it. The kind that has a cart occupied by a car seat and/or diaper bag. Multiple times I have gone through the check-out line, paid for my purchases and upon loading them into my car find something hidden beneath the car seat that constitutes stolen goods. So then I have to load Ella back up and take the said item back to the store. By this point I'm so annoyed that I don't purchase the item; I just leave it inside and cut my losses. Since Ella is sitting in the cart now I thought my keifing days were over. 

Nope. 

Yesterday I was at Jo-Anne's and hidden under the diaper bag was a spool of thread. I had purchased multiple spools and couldn't find my receipt, so I wasn't sure if I had paid for it or not. It was also snowing and cold, so I took my chances and left. Today I looked over my receipt, and it turns out I have successfully shoplifted from Jo-Anne. So now I have to go back, pay for the stupid spool (or just leave it, which is what I'll probably do) and clear my conscience of the $2.49. 

You'd think I would learn.