Kimball Family Reunion

This last weekend, Matt, Nicole, and I packed up and drove down to St. George for the Kimball Family Reunion. Matt's grandparents live in St. George and put together a reunion for all the Kimball family. Matt got work off on Friday and we left early in the morning after Nicole's first feeding. Nicole did surprisingly well on the trip. She slept most of the way and we only had to stop once to feed her. I'm so glad that she travels well! I feared that she would be upset the whole trip. Luckily, St. George is not that far away.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn where the event was being held. They had an indoor/outdoor pool. We decided that it was a good opportunity to take Nicole swimming.

It was difficult getting her into the little swim diapers. They are tight little diapers that you slip on. But, I got her into it.

Momma Kimball bought her a little swimsuit. She searched for a long time for one small enough and it turned out to be a little too small. She looked like she was in a little wrestling outfit. But, it worked and she looked cute.
She wasn't really sure what was going on when we took her out to the pool, but Daddy was excited!
When we first put her in, she did not like it and kept struggling, but eventually she just looked at the water with confused looks. No crying, which I count as a success.

We stayed inside most of the time, but Matt took her outside once and she flailed because it was sunny and the sun is her worst enemy.
I got her out of the pool eventually and she was happy to be held by Momma.
I was really excited about her first swim. I wanted to take her to the pool again, but we never got the chance.
Most of our meals during the reunion were at a church not far from the hotel. We tried to pawn off Nicole on relatives, but she cried every time. She has figured out when Mommy and Daddy are not holding and has decided that she doesn't like it. Sigh* It made for very tired Mommy arms because she wouldn't let others hold her.
Though Momma Kimball tried many times, Nicole cried every time she held her. I guess she is just very particular.
Matt invented a new game where he teaches Nicole to pull his hair. Now she wants to pull my hair too. I don't think that I like this game.
One of the best parts about St. George is that it has an In and Out. I had never been and Matt insisted that we go. So, we went and I foolishly ordered a single patty cheesburger. Then, I realized that I should have ordered a Double Double. So, we had to sneak out during the reunion to go again.
Here is us at In and Out. It was really yummy. More yummy than I thought that it would be.
Matt takes In and Out very seriously.

It was a great trip! We got to see all the Kimball Clan and played lots of games and had fun. I'm really glad that we went. I'm also very glad to be home and get back to our normal schedule.

Things Matt Builds With His Bare Hands!

A few weeks ago, we had Anne, Carlitos, and little Lucy over for dinner. We put on a movie in our downstairs family room for the kids to watch. Little Lucy has learned to crawl and loves to pull herself up on things. She also likes to be right in front of the tv, touching it. So, she decided to pull herself up on the tv. But, our entertainment system is not deep enough for our ginormous tv. So, we put a board under the tv to get it to fit in the entertainment system. This makes for a precariously balanced, front heavy tv. We immediately realized how dangerous this is for small children when Lucy decided that playing with the tv was a fun game. The tv didn't fall when Lucy decided to play with it, but it made us realize that it will not be too long before our little Coley O is crawling around and also trying to pull herself up on the tv. We needed a new solution.

Matt first suggested that we get a new tv (flatscreen of course). I countered that we just needed a new entertainment system because all the dvds, game systems, and satelite were down at kid level where they could grab and destroy. Matt came around to my way of thinking and we decided on a new entertainment system because it is a lot cheaper than buying a new tv. But, Matt wanted to build it himself to save money and so that we could customize it to our needs.

Unfortunately, I neglected to get a before picture of the entertainment system because once we decided that we were going to build it and we had designed on paper what we wanted, Matt immediately started to dismantle our old entertainment center. He used the wood from the old center to help build the new center. The following is a step by step picture montage of the process of building the new system.

(I did none of the work and Matt did it all. He is very skilled and it was his first piece of furniture that he ever made.)

We decided that it would be safest to mount the center piece to the wall so that even if Nicole did climb up on it, it would not fall on her. (Matt is paranoid about this because a few years ago a child was killed at Circuit City from climbing on a tv display.)

He used the bottom of the old system and cut it to fit the size we wanted. He made a frame mounted to the wall and put up backing that would serve as the back of the system.
Then, he was able to salvage wood from the old one for the sides and the top of the system. You will notice the hole in the side there, that is for the computer to go in and out.
He walled off the section for the computer so that the computer can come in and out of that side compartment. We are using the tv as a monitor so that we can watch media online on the tv (like Hulu.com).
The side door flips up and out and the bottom slides out like a drawer so that the computer can be slid in and out. Matt came up with this idea and used the drawer rails from the old system to make it work.
Then, he built a bunch of shelves inside to fit all of our components and some dvds. He also built rails out of wood for sliding doors in the front. He used his table saw to build his own rails rather than buying premade rails. Here is a pic with him testing the rails.
Then, he built shelves on each side of the main unit to house our dvds out of the reach of small children. These are also securely mounted to the wall.
Then, he bondoed it all together, caulked, and painted them all for a sleek, clean look. I did nothing of this, but I did watch the baby while he worked on it every day after work for two weeks. So, I feel like I contributed a little. Plus, I helped to design it.
The other day we were at Target and we noticed this 42 inch flat screen on sale for $400. It was a discontinued tv and it was on clearance. Plus, the only one they had left was the display, which they sold to us for an addition 30% off. So, Matt got his wish after all and got his flat screen tv.

Here is the finished product with plexiglass doors and plenty of dvd and storage space. I love it! It turned out better than anything we could buy. And, we did it all (tv included) for about $500. I'm so glad that my husband is handy and willing and able to build things with his hands!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! Here's a picture of what Nicole thinks of the fourth!

This year for the fourth, Matt got the third of July off from work. But, he didn't tell me that he got it off, I heard it from my Mom first. Matt was trying to make it into a surprise, but Mom spilled the beans. I was just happy that I got three full days with Matt rather than just two. I would love it if neither of us had to work and we could just be together all the time. If only we were independently wealthy. I wonder what it wouuld be like.
On Friday, we took Nicole to Freedom Days. Which is essentially a bunch of booths outside by the courthouse that sell things. We like to walk around and see what is being sold. I bought Nicole this hat because Nicole really hates the sun. Everytime I take her outside she acts like I have wounded her with the sun. She shuts her eyes tight and flails. So, the hat helped to shade her. Though she didn't like it on her head, she seemed to like the shade.
While we were at Freedom Days we found some little kid sun glasses and we bought them for Nicole. She looked super cute! And, it helped further her avoidance of the sun. She liked to eat them more than she liked to wear them. It was actually the first time that Nicole has grabbed something with her hands and brought it to her mouth. She has brought blankets to her face, but nothing heavier than a blanket. We were very exicted that she learned a new trick. I'm sure we won't be excited when she tries to put things into her mouth that should not go there. She grabbed her dirty diaper this morning when I was changing her and I was not excited about that.
Matt didn't want me to take a picture of him while we were at Freedom Days, but I got him anyway.
There were a lot of cool/restored cars at Freedom Days and Matt enjoyed walking around looking at them.
Nicole seemed to tolerate being out in the sun for an hour, but then she got angry and fell asleep. I really enjoyed the outing though. Being with my own family for the fourth seemed to make it more fun than it has been in previous years. Even though all we did was walk around and look at things. When Nicole is older she will enjoy it more because she will be able to ride the rides and play. I'm excited for her to grow up and experience those things. But, at the same time, I want her to stay my little baby forever.
After Freedom Days, we came home and just hung out. Nicole loves her high chair! For some reason, she always wants to put her feet up on the tray. Later in the day on Friday, we went to a park in Orem and met up with a bunch of people that I went to college with in Hawaii. The Allreds, whose house I lived in in Hawaii, were in from Hawaii and were there too. It was fun to see everyone again. Even though most of us already live in Utah, we hardly get together.

For the fourth itself, Matt worked on building our entertainment system all morning. (Post to come about that project) Then, we drove up to my parents house for a barbeque. My dad got a new grill for father's day and he does not like to pass up an opportunity to use it! Most of my siblings and their children were there.

Johnny kept trying to get people to go outside and play games, so Matt, Anthon, Krista and I went outside and played soccer for a while. I cut out early because it was just too hot, but the boys kept playing for hours. Matt got very burnt. I opted to go inside and play Boggle instead. I love Boggle! Mostly because I am really good at it.

While we were outside playing, Marie watched Nicoley for me. What a good sister/aunt she is. Nicole was attempting to take a nap with her, but Nicole likes to wake up everytime her pacifier falls out and I don't think that Marie got very much sleep.

We left my parents and came home. Matt resumed work on building things with his hands and I took care of the baby. We didn't watch fireworks, neither did we buy fireworks. When Nicole gets older we will do more things like that, but I just don't think that she would appreciate it right now. Plus, she likes to go to bed at 9pm or she gets really angry. And it doesn't even get dark until 9 nowadays.

It was a good fourth! I loved just spending time with my husband and my daughter. There is nothing better.

Baby Steals Update!

Baby Steals is featuring a Hooter Hider today. If you don't have one of these and you have a baby, you should get one! They are awesome. It provides privacy while nursing and baby can't pull the covering off because it loops around your neck. Baby Steals is having a fantastic deal today on these. They go fast and they are only available for one day, check it out. www.babysteals.com

Baby Legs!

So, while perusing the blogs of women at work, I came across a recomendation for a site called babysteals.com. It is a website made by local Utah women that sells high end baby items at half the price. They have only one item a day and they only sell items once (usually). I love it!

I bought Nicole some Baby Legs leg warmers from the site. They are so cute!


Baby leg warmers are very "in" right now. I love them because it allows me to keep Nicole in just a onesie, but her legs can still stay warm.


I got the leg warmers for just a fraction of the cost that they normally are and it came with a set of three warmers. The pink/white/grey warmers are featured here.
Nicole seems to like them, or not mind them anyway, which is good to me.

But, she is still afraid of the camera.

Nicole Pictures

So, after posting about myself last time, I decided it was time to return to Nicole. So, this is my Nicole picture post.

Here is Nicole in her new dress that Grandma Kimball gave to her. It is almost too small for her, so I'm glad that I put her in it before she grew out of it.


Nicole does not smile when the camera is on her. And, you will notice the burp cloth behind her head because she likes to play spit ups while she is laying on Mommy and Daddy's bed. I think she knows how much we like spit ups on our bed.


The other day I fohawked her hair while we were sitting on the bed together. She didn't really want to smile for the camera, but she did make all sorts of weird faces. Two of her faces are featured here.



Here is Nicole in another dress that Grandma Kimball gave to her. It is yellow and pretty.

This is what happens when Daddy changes Nicole's diaper.


Bath time! Nicole is still loving her bath time and she gets better and better at making sure that she doesn't dunk herself. She hasn't figured out toys in the bath yet, but that is because she is still trying to figure out how to use her hands. All she can do right now is get them to her mouth to suck on.

And yes, I have a very chunky baby.

Working is Lame

So, I'm all back at work now. Work is so completely lame! I've been back for a week and a half, which means that I only have two and a half weeks left, but it feels like forever. Because I am only working for a short period of time, there is not much for me to do at work because they can't put me on any of the long term projects. Which means that I have been editing documents for the last week and a half. Editing is not bad because it is extremely easy, but it is also very boring. Editing doesn't really require very much brain power, so it is boring. I've taken to listening to audio books while I'm editing so that the time passes faster.

My wonderful mother is watching Nicole while I am back at work. I am so grateful that she is able and willing to watch Nicole. I would hate it if I had to leave Nicole at some day care during the day. She is my precious baby and I want her to be as spoiled as I like to treat her. Grandma spoils her plenty, which I love.

After working for just this short period of time, I have a new respect for Dads. Dads leave their kids and wife every day and go off to work. That is one of the hardest things to do! I cry every morning that I have to leave Nicole because I don't want to leave her. I just want to spend all my time with her and take care of her. It is really difficult for me to leave her every morning. Matt is so wonderful for working every day since Nicole has been born. I don't know how he has handled it so well. I am so grateful that Matt has a job that will allow me to be home with my baby.

Before the baby was born, I wasn't sure if I would like being home all day. I was so used to working all day that I thought that I would be bored. I am far from bored! Nicole is constantly entertaining me. Whether I am taking care of her or if we are just playing together, I love being with her all day. I thought that I would want to continue working somewhat because I went to all the trouble of getting my education and finding a profession that I loved, but I find motherhood more fulfilling than any job than I have ever had. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life raising my babies and taking care of my husband. It is the most rewarding and exciting job that I have ever had, I love it!

So, I endure these next two and a half weeks of work and try to enjoy these last days with my coworkers, but I anxiously anticipate the time when I can be home with Nicole again. I hope that this post about me, not Nicole suffices and makes my elder brother happy.

Baby Blessing!

Nicole was blessed last Sunday, June 7th. It was really an unexplainably happy moment to see/hear my husband bless our daughter. The power and gift of the priesthood is a wonderful gift given to us. It was heart warming and beautiful to hear a blessing given to my daughter from my Heavenly Father through my husband. I don't remember everything that was said, but I do know that Nicole is one lucky little girl.


We borrowed a blessing dress from my sister-in-law Jill for the blessing. I considered buying my own, but they are really expensive and she only wore it for 2 hours. She looked really beautiful in the dress though.

It is the same dress the my nieces Amara and Keira wore when they were blessed. It is all long and flowey and completely impractical for any extended period of time. It was difficult to even hold Nicole while she was wearing it because it was all long and slippery. But, she bore it well and tried to eat the dress multiple times.

I put her in the dress right before we went to church and quickly got some pictures of her in it with the afghan that I made for her. Unfortunately, I made the blanket before she was born and didn't realize how impractically big the blanket is. It is way to big to wrap Nicole in and becomes more of a hinderance than a help. So, it is just a backdrop for pictures for now.

I got a picture of me and Nicole because I don't have many of those. She looks better in this pic than she did in the previous pic of me and her. I keep telling her to raise her chin to hide the double/tripple chin that she is sporting.

After the blessing, we had everyone come over to our house for some food. I did not realize that sooo many people like us. We had almost 60 people in our little home. All the seats were taken, AND there was barely any room to stand. So, most people were standing while eating.

We made three pork roasts in the crock pot and pulled the pork and added BBQ sauce so that we would have little pulled pork sandwiches. Anne, Marie, and my Mom all brought salads too, and I made a fruit salad, so I thought that we would have plenty of food. But, I didn't count on the number of people showing up that did. I didn't even get to taste some of the salads because I was slow to go and get food.

Mom and Dad Kimball came down from Washington for the blessing and stayed with us. It was wonderful to have them here. We miss them a lot and it stinks that they live so far away. It makes me grateful when they come and it makes me grateful for having my family so close by.


Grandma and Grandpa Kimball also came for the blessing from St. George. We didn't expect them, but we were glad that they were able to make the trip up. We hardly ever get to see them and we love it when they are here. We will get to see them again in July for the Kimball family reunion.

The blessing went really well and it was good to see everyone. It was just crazy to see everyone at one time. The children got a little crazy in our basement during the party and Benner and Carlitos pulled our curtains out of the wall.