Few More Christmas Pics

Claire loves to sit in chairs meant for little kids, so I got this wooden rocker and painted it to match her room. Not the prettiest job ever, but she likes it. She is a little daredevil and has no fear standing up and rocking violently back and forth. That is all from Matt's side :)

Christmas Saturday

We celebrated Christmas on Saturday this year with the Hillers - Matt's brother Nick had to work up in Reno, and the later date gave everyone time to hang out with in-laws and take advantage of the after Christmas sales. Here are some pics from the day - Claire was actually into opening presents, and was very excited to tear into them (one agonizingly small piece at a time) once she saw a baby doll in one of the packages. She stared into the box for awhile and was so cute with it - kissing it once she had it out of the package. How do little girls automatically know what to do with a doll? We definitely got all we asked for this year, from both sides of the family, and had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Vegas Winter

Believe it, people.

Holiday Cheer

Some recent December happenings - making gingerbread houses at the Hiller's and our trip to Salt Lake last weekend to visit my sister, sneak in a visit to my old college roommate Jacqui, and attend a work meeting, the justification for it all. My sister and I love dressing up the girls, and I think in the back of my mind the reason we do it is to capture really cute pictures that Claire will love looking back on... only the pictures never seem to turn out that way and the girls don't want to sit and pose... you can get a glimpse of their Christmas dresses at least.

Our gingerbread castle


Watching the action


Christmas dresses


It snowed from Saturday to Tuesday in Salt Lake


This Vegas girl had to borrow all her snow gear

Basketball on Thursday Nights

If you love to play basketball, are a girl, and live in the greater Las Vegas area, then we need you! A group of us play every Thursday night at 8:45 pm to 10:15 pm, and we are recruiting new players. There are all skill levels who come to play, but most everyone has at least dribbled a ball before (my nice way of saying a few basic skills are appreciated).

So, if you are interested in playing, please comment and I will get you the info and address. We play at a church in the SW part of town - not far from Buffalo and the 215.

And for old times sake, here is a photo of my intramural basketball team at BYU. I am the incredibly white one on the front row, far right. We were so proud of those shirts!

Baby Steps

Decision made, decision carried out... my motto, according to my PS friends (PS stands for Power Squad, but that's a whole other story).

So, I put my decisiveness to work and made the choice to quit my full time job as a Partner with Vanguard Media Group, a PR and advertising firm based in Salt Lake City. I have been heading up the Vegas office for almost four years. It has been a really great experience for me to learn about running a firm, but for the past 14+ months it has been evident that I just want to be home more, and at the office less.

While I can't stop working completely (not yet anyway), I will still do a few projects for Vanguard and help with some clients for a month or so. I will also look for other PR projects to keep me busy, and stay in the industry a bit while having more time with Claire and Matt. My goal is to be home at least three days a week and use the other two days to get all of my client work done. I have this month to figure out a few things and get myself organized, but I am SO looking forward to having a real Christmas break, the likes of which have not been seen since my Senior year at BYU. A real break, not just a few days! Maybe I can catch up on all the organization and projects I've been putting off since Claire was born.

So, as a former co-worker said once, "Onward and upward." That one's for you Michelle :)

Mommy Tricks

Sometimes people ask me how I balance work and family, and if they ever came over to my house, they would see how - it's a mess. I have such a hard time keeping things clean when I just want to come home, make dinner and play for a bit before more work, maybe actually working out, or smooch with my husband instead of tidying up the house.

But, during this balancing act I have learned a few ticks that I thought I would share. Note that I only have one child, so if you have more, I'm not that talented.

1. Bath time - I typically give Claire her bath in the morning, even though most books say it's good to do a bath at night to settle down and establish a pattern. If I put her in the bath in my room, I can do my hair and make up while watching her in the mirror, and she entertains herself. The other option is to shower with her, and then let her play in the water while I finish up. Saves me time and I get two things done at once.

2. Do things the night before - I try to pack Claire's diaper bag, think about my lunch and breakfast for the next day, and if I'm really good setting out Claire's outfit for the next day. I used to even make Matt a bag of snacks until he repeatedly forgot them four days in a row. Haven't made one since, sorry Matt. :)

3. Recyle outfits - I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but to save precious time and brain cells on Monday mornings, I almost always wear either the dress I wore to church (since it's already put together and accessorized, and I only wore it for 3 hours, right?), or part or all of the outfit I wore to Matt's parent's house for Sunday dinner. It's just one more step I don't have to think about.

4. Use the clean ones first - I often have at least a days worth of dishes in the sink (don't judge me) but I always make a point to use the clean dishes in the dishwasher first, before getting new dishes out of the cabinet. My logic is that if I take out new ones, that just adds to the bulk of dishes out and I'd rather keep the group small. Then it's fewer dishes in the long run to put back into the now almost empty dishwasher.

5. Plan dinners on Saturday - I shop and plan on Saturday and I get up early to beat the crowds. I plan out dinners for the week and try to package and prepare things in advance so I'm not thawing a huge bag of chicken, just what I need for the night. Sometimes I forget to plan it all out and I definitely feel the difference during the week.

6. Ask for help - I was never one to ask for help doing anything, and it has been one of the major learning moments for me as a mom to realize I can't do it all, and I do need help. There have been many of you who have helped me with babysitting over the past year and I want to say how very much I appreciate you, Emily especially. It's a good lesson in humility and it's been a way for me to meet new friends.

7. And last mommy trick, get a husband who is willing to change poopy diapers, run the laundry while you go to the store for groceries, and clean the toilets. I can stand the clutter so long as the house is clean, you know?

Please share your time saving tricks - I need all that I can get!

Thanksgiving Visit

We went to my parent's house for Thanksgiving this year - we do the in-law swap. One year at my parents, the next year we stay home to be with Matt's parents. We had a long drive to Sacramento/Placerville but it was worth it. We had a fun time playing in the castle - seriously, why do we buy toys when cardboard boxes are just as fun? The girls loved it and spent a ton of time playing inside.


We also took a day trip to San Francisco. Matt had never been before, and we took a ferry from Vallejo to Fisherman's Wharf and explored a bit - saw Alcatraz from afar, went to Ghiradelli Square and of course had some clam chowder in a bread bowl for lunch. We didn't get too close to the Golden Gate bridge, so next time we are going to see more of the touristy spots.




We took a quick look at the shops on Pier 39 and I got to pick an oyster from the bowl to see if it had a pearl inside. Of course it did, and Matt bought me a nice necklace with the pearl. It was fun - you tap on the oyster three times and then everyone yells "Alooooha!" to welcome the oyster into the world. I thought it was a nice souvenir since I will actually use it instead of a thimble or silver spoon or something like that.

We had a great time and wish we could see everyone more often - maybe the grandparents can plan a Vegas trip, hint hint!