Crystal Clear Crafts

Hey everyone, I just posted new stuff on my Crystal Clear Crafts blog. Check it out and tell me what you think. I'm anxious for anything I can do to improve it. Life is good at the moment, we are trying to simplify our lives quite a bit. One of the ways I'm trying to simplify is not being a demonstrator for Stampin Up!. I'm sad to be stopping for now, but hopefully in a few years I can get going with it again. My last party is November 19th at 7pm at my house. If you want to come, let me know. I can put in orders until the end of December, so if you are interested in getting anything through me, now is your last chance.

October!

Finally, I have some fun pictures of William this month.

Here he is with his keys. The ONE time where we will willingly give him keys...he reminds me of the knockers on the movie Labyrinth, the one that holds the knocker in his mouth, funny moment.



William loves his dad Tyler. Whenever they sit together, William loves to watch his dad's every move. (the fact that Tyler is eating food is irrelevant) I love it when they bond!



Ever since we starting feeding him in the high chair (he eats baby food now, yaya) he likes to see all the different positions he can fit into. This way he has easy access to nibble on any unsuspecting toes and fingers.

We have had a lot of fun watching this little guy grow, and he grows well. He has tapered off at 20 1/2 pounds (for how long, I don't know) and a little over 30 inches. I'm grateful he is so great for the camera most days, so we can capture all his funny faces. If anyone can give me pointers on readjusting the pictures so they aren't sideways, please let me know! Stay tuned to more pictures after Halloween, we are going to have TOO much fun. Just the way I like it!

Back to Reality...

So I am still at a loss with getting pictures and film on here the way it's supposed to be, so I reluctantly can only provide written memories. Oy.

We came back to Idaho just after Tyler's birthday so he could start school again. Oh, the joys of getting an education...time consuming, great learning, and lots of studying. Tyler only has about a year left, and then he will go on to get his masters or work for a few years. That one is still up for debate.

William has been sitting up pretty well on his own since September 30, but not for more than about 5-10 minutes. He still struggles to regain his balance when he reaches for things, or he gets tired of holding himself up, so he tips over. He has quite a large vocabulary in the 'babyish' language, which is really enjoyable to listen. He screeches occasionally (something he gets from being around girlies) and I'm not such a big fan of the sound, but he pulls a pretty funny face when he does it.

I can't believe he is already 6 months old. Well I can believe it, but the time has really sped up over the past few months. I have a feeling it will only continue to speed by. We are feeding him rice cereal these days, and he took to as though he's been eating from a spoon his whole life, he doesn't spit much out at all. I'm still hesitant on feeding him baby food, maybe in a few weeks. He is the captain of his toys and will roll over to reach what he wants. He is very laid back (ha ha, no pun intended since he's usually laying on the floor) and very curious with everything around him. I have to work for him to smile, but when he does, it lasts quite a long time. I am convinced Tyler will always have the magical power of getting William to giggle on command. They spend a lot of time together when Tyler isn't at school, and they are great friends. There is a strong bond between them, I love to see it.

I have been working as a temp teller at Beehive, and I've been able to work for the past 3 weeks quite a bit. It has been a great blessing since I acquired a hefty ER bill from September 11. Once again, not the best day of the year. We are staying afloat, but I admit I do look forward to being established in a home of my own and Tyler having a successful career (in whatever it is he decides). Life now allows us to appreciate the simple things of life and grow closer together through the hard times life throws at us. I know now more than ever how lucky I am to have Tyler and William in my life, they have made my dreams come true and superceded all my expectations.

Long story short, our lives are good, we've encountered some bumps (what can you expect when we live in a mortal world) but we have enjoyed the ride and try to do our best to make lemonade. Oy, the only thing I'm not too thrilled about is the cold and snow, but that's what happens when you live in the 'burg! :)

Washington!

Sorry I don't have any pictures to share right now, but here's an update for the last few weeks. I finished working full time at Beehive on the 24th of July, and Tyler finished his semester on the 23rd (luckily with better grades than he expected). We are currently in the tri-cities area of Washington state (not to be confused with D.C.) and are spending lots of time with Tyler's family!!! We are loving the break, and William is getting a heavy dose of cousins, which is awesome. It has been really great to spend so much time with Tyler's family since we only see them a few times each year, and William needs to remember who these wonderful people are!

William is now 4 months old, wow does time fly when you're a mom! He has discovered his toes so he plays with them all the time. He has really enjoyed talking and cooing to us, in fact during our 8 hour drive, he talked for a good hour just jabbering away. It was really fascinating to watch him, and I got some video footage, but don't know how to get it on here, so someday you'll see it. He is also holding onto objects a bit longer, and holds his head up higher and longer when on his tummy. We've been playing with him sitting, so he is working on sitting up while we hold him. Giggling is a fun way for him to pass the time, and he is really a big fan of Tyler. Tyler just has to walk within his sight, and he grins like crazy. They are becoming really great buddies, what a relief for me.

I'm working on getting my "Crystal Clear Crafts" blog up and going, so check that out through my link. I plan to have some stuff up about the first of September, so right now, there's just a fun background. I'm also working on getting my Stampin' Up! business really rolling, and there are a lot of fun incentives that have been added starting September, so if you want to be a hostess and have a party, please leave a comment, and I'll set that up for you. I'll be in Rexburg on September 9th, so if you want to have a fun party in Washington you better do it before, and if you are in the 'burg, you can schedule one anytime after that.

Tyler has successfully started his car detailing service here in Richland, and so far, it's working out. He detailed my car a few days ago, and it seriously looks like I just bought it, I LOVE driving a super clean car. He only charges $35 to do the entire detail, and then $10 for an outside wash, so if your interested in that, please leave a comment or give us a call. It's one of those things that you need done, but it's so far down on the priority list, it never gets done. Tyler would love to stay busy (as would I love him to stay busy) so spread the word.

Tyler and I spent our 2nd anniversary on tuesday, August 11th, doing sealings in the Columbia River Temple and then dinner at P.F. Changs. We have never been there before, and it was super delicious. I would go back in a heartbeat. Slightly expensive for us, but seriously worth every penny. I just hope I can find one closer to Rexburg when we go home. Ta ta for now!

4th of July

We went to Utah to celebrate the 4th of July with my family. William went to his first parade, but wasn't really interested in the floats. He got a bit of a sunburn, but enjoyed being outside. We found some great shade to watch the parade. It was a great trip to see friends that I haven't seen since I got married, and show off my sweet guys, both of them!

William's Blessing

Thank Heaven for Little Boys. William was a little over 3 weeks old when he was blessed by Tyler on May 3, 2009. After the blessing, he had his first photo shoot, and proved to be pretty good in front of the camera... Here is one of my brother Kolton, Tyler, Me, William, my Dad, and my Mom. Kolton left on his mission just a week and a half later, so it was awesome that he could be there for William's Blessing.

Here is the 3 generations: Craig, Janet, Tyler, William, Me, Dad, Mom.









William was a lot of fun to take pictures of. What a cute little guy of mine. I'm so lucky to have 2 great looking men in my life, Tyler and William.

William

Here is my sweet little (although he isn't that little) William James Christian. I'm still working on getting my photos to be small enough to download on the computer. He was born April 10, 2009 at 9 lb. 4 oz. and 20 inches long. He is good strong healthy boy, and I can't believe he's already two months old! I'll get more pictures and more stories soon. Thanks for being patient with me, this technology is a bit beyond me.