MacGyver Diapering

Aaron, Sasha and I had three firsts on Saturday:

1. We visited Promontory Point;
2. We visited the Spiral Jetty;
3. We created a diaper using a maxi pad, a t-shirt and a grocery bag.

After hiking up an old favorite (Adam's Canyon) in Layton, we decided to join Aaron's side of the family for a trip to see the Spiral Jetty. I was excited because I had seen many photos and read information about it while working at UMFA (the Utah Museum of Fine Arts). We packed into the van with not a space to spare and headed out on our 4 hour round trip adventure. Sasha decided that this would be the day for the worst case of diarrhea in her lifetime. We thought it was no big deal since we had one diaper left, but it turns out that it was a decoy. It was a bib posing as a diaper.

Needless to say, we arrived at the Spiral Jetty with no diapers and yet another poopy diaper. Angela, Aaron's sister-in-law, found a maxi pad and offered her t-shirt. We secured the maxipad to the t-shirt and tied it snugly around Sasha's legs. Then we found a grocery bag that Aaron put some leg holes in. We put Sasha's legs through those and tied the handles around her waist. It was basically a MacGyver work of art. Sadly, it also made Sasha appear as if she had a huge growth and walk very uncomfortably. She was a trooper until we made it to a store that thankfully had some diapers in her size. I took a moment to be grateful for the technology of diapers and thought of how it would have been to be a pioneer crossing the plains with a young child. We ended up laughing about the whole thing and chalking it up to a great story.

We had a fun time and enjoyed celebrating Mother's Day with Kerry and Ang, two incredible moms. On the Mother's Day note, I have to say how grateful I am for my mom and my mother-in-law. They are both amazing women and I'm especially thankful that my relationship with my mom has deepened so much over the last year. I am truly blessed!

A New Perspective

Such a powerful and positive way to look at things...

Heartbreaker

I can already tell that Sasha is going to be a heartbreaker because she's already starting denying the fellas. Here's a little sample of Little Miss Attitude with her cute (and persistent) friend Spencer. I love the look she gives to the camera at the very end - priceless.

You are amazing!

Some days I feel like I'm a rock star and other days I wish I could have stayed in bed. This is especially true as a mom. Being a mom is like a crazy rollercoaster with lots of ups and downs, but always worth the ride. I watched this video on a friend's blog and loved the message so I wanted to share it with all of you mom's out there. You are all amazing!


P.S. I have a new goal to keep track of more of these ups and downs by "typing" in my journal three times a week (yes, I've gone for the technology route of typing up the entries on my computer). I'm sharing this little tid-bit with you in hopes of having some accountability and support. Here's to keeping a history of our lives and our families!

I love surprises!

Aaron knows that I love surprises so when I came home from a gym class on February 13, I was excited to find the following sign on the door:

I stepped inside to find a path made out of conversation hearts (sort of hard to see, but you get the idea). The trail of hearts led to little framed signs that Aaron made for me many a few years ago. Each of the frames a title in the center like "I love Becky" or "Becky is my Sweetie" and surrounding it were little reasons why he loves me. By each of the framed signs was a small chocolate treat (excellent taste, I might add).
When I got to the end of the trail, I found two smiling faces waiting for me! Did I say how much I love surprises? Because I LOVE SURPRISES! The best part is that I thought this was the big surprise that Aaron had been hinting at for the entire week. Little did I know (insert devous laugh here)... Aaron wanted to go to dinner and use a gift card that I got for him a while ago. Apparently, I was feeling adventurous when I bought it because it was to a Thai restaurant. Off we went with Sasha and a bag full of back up food supplies for her in case she didn't take to the Thai cuisine. As we got out of the car, I noticed that Kerry and Larry, Aaron's parents who live in Layton, happened to be getting out of their car to eat at the same restaurant in South Jordan. Whoa, what are the chances?!? Wait a minute...you can't fool me. Aaron planned it. Not only did they eat dinner with us, but they stayed with Sasha while Aaron and I went to see Avatar (awesome movie, by the way). So, thanks to my hubby for knowing that I love surprises and making this Valentine's perfect. For Aaron, I happen to know that the fastest way to his heart is through baked goods and thoughtful, homeade gifts. So, I made my first attempt at homeade sweet rolls. Let's just say that they tasted great, but didn't turn out as well as I had hoped since they didn't rise hardly at all. Seriously, I let them rise for 2 hours in the morning and then again after I put them on the baking sheet while we went to church. Aaron was happy so that's all that matters, but if you have a great cinnamon roll recipe, I'd love to get it. For the thoughtful, handmade gift I made the little book below (thanks to Christina for the great idea). It starts out looking like an ordinary book... But when you open it up, SURPRISE! It's a little different than expected. Love you, sweetie! We've been enjoying the Olympics so much that we thought we'd let Sasha join in the celebration by wearing a shirt that's sort of a shout out to all bobsledders, speed skaters, aerialists and any spandex-top-wearing athletes out there. Future Olympian? I wouldn't doubt it!

Hello...again!

I know, I know...it's been way too long. Well, I'm back and promise to be better if you'll forgive me for the longer-than-usual hiatus. We've had so much fun over New Year's and being able to spend lots of time with family and friends. Okay, so sometimes Sasha and I get a little stir-crazy being inside more than usual, but we're surviving. We've still managed quite a few trips to the park or just walking around outside to find treasures (live dogs or cats are the most exciting for Sasha). I have to be careful when I say "park" or "outside" because Sasha assumes that the effect is immediate and we'll be heading out instantly. She is such an outdoor/nature girl. Her loves right now include any living animal, leaves, pinecones, music and pianos. If there is a piano in sight, she wants to play it. She even got in a duet with her cute cousin, Abrie.
The Fireplace - a Tale of Triumph

Over a year ago, we decided to remodel our fireplace because it was gargantuan and a definite hazard. Just picture a fireplace with a huge, black facade surrounded by bulky, square, white columns and golden accents. It probably would have been more suited to a Roman palace. We were so excited to begin the project that we tore out the steps and columns in one night. Yay us for being so proactive. Eight months later, the project was still in the same condition that we had left it - a gaping hole in our family room wall with chairs and various objects in front of it to keep Sasha out. Not to be bested by our fireplace, we decided to again take action and found a beautiful mantle on ksl. A short two months later, we tackled the task of finding tile. At last, we were able to put everything up and remove the barriers that had been there for so long. Drum roll, please...

The fireplace is complete! Okay, joking aside, I have to say "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You" to my sweet honey, my dad and Aaron's dad for working so hard to finally complete this project. I absolutely love how everything turned out and Sasha is very grateful to have free reign of the space again. The photo doesn't do it justice so you'll just have to come over and check it out yourself. Man, it feels so good to complete a project!

We send out a big "I love you" to the newest member of our extended family, Jake Tribe. Congrats, Lys and John - he's adorable!

I promise to post more photos of Sasha soon. You won't believe how long her hair has gotten and all the new words she's coming up with, especially as she copies everything we say.

The other day, Aaron bumped his head and said, "Gosh!" Sasha immediately started copying him as she walked around the house saying "Gosh," but it eventually wore off and we forgot about it. Then, just the other day, Sasha was trying to climb down from a chair, but a pillow was in her way. All of a sudden, she said, "Gosh!" and I couldn't help but crack up. I love, love, love this stage (even with the beginning of tantrums and such) as Sasha learns to express herself more to us. Kuddos to all those moms out there - you are amazing!

Merry Christmas!

We've decided to take advantage of technology and send out our Christmas card online. So, here's the blog version:

Merry Christmas 2009! What a year it has been! We've had lots of fun adventures, most of which revolved around a cute, little toddler you might know, our little munchkin Sasha. It's been so great to experience things as if for the first time with her. I have never seen a child so passionate about so many things...being outside, stuffed animals, real animals (especially dogs), beads, necklaces, jewelry, grandma and grandpa and the list could go on. She loves running around and exploring any drawers, cabinets or compartments. Her vocabulary is growing like crazy and includes words like "mama, papa, wow, dog, happy, hot, and outside." Guess we'll have to watch what we say more closely. :) We celebrated her 1st birthday this year and our favorite part was when she tasted sweets for the first time and decided that she really liked cake (see photo below). In fact, she liked it so much that she eventually just bent over and planted her face in it. That's our girl - go big or go home!

Aaron recently changed jobs and joined a partnership with Global NES, Inc., a renewable energy company based out of Colorado. His company sells and implements energy analysis and reduction measures along with renewable energy technologies. In short, Aaron is super hip. As always, he's working hard on projects around the house and will soon complete the redo of our fireplace. YIPPEE!!

For me, things have changed in ways I didn't anticipate. Since being laid off from my position as wellness coordinator at Regence, I have been able to do some projects for my parents' business so it has been a blessing for us all. Plus, I get to spend lots of time with sweet Sasha.

We love our home in Sandy and continue to make small changes here and there. So far, we have a new roof, furnace, microwave, dishwasher, landscaping and fireplace. Phew! We have loved having a garden this year and look forward to developing more of a green thumb.

We are especially grateful to family and friends for your love and support. At this special time of year, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and His message of peace and love. We love you and wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,
Aaron, Beck & Sasha

P.S. Here another cute photo for those who endured and read the entire letter. :)