Holly and David Mayer: One happy family

2011-01-07T09:43:00.002-07:00

from October

2010-11-03T09:54:00.002-06:00

general confrence tent

2010-10-06T14:52:00.007-06:00

Every general conference our family makes a blanket tent that faces the TV. This way we are pitching out tents towards the prophet.(http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/2 )
We find it has helped Arora (a bit) to sit and watch conference or at least play quietly in the tent. Here are some photos from past conferences too.

a month of photos

2010-10-02T22:27:00.005-06:00

remember to check out my other blog (that I actually update!) http:meaningfulmothering.wordpress.com

Welcome baby Ender!

2010-08-04T17:18:00.005-06:00

Ender was born Tuesday Aug 3rd at 8:35 am. It was a slow to start but quick overall birth. It felt so long to me but I only pushed for about 20 minutes. It was so empowering to do it un-medicated and I feel like I can do anything! I am feeling well and we are home now. Thanks you to everyone who is helping is will Arora and meal the next week or so!!

2010-06-30T20:54:00.000-06:00

This is a wonderful message and I had to share it with all of you.

New midwife

2010-06-17T21:43:00.002-06:00

I finally switch my midwife and could not be happier. I was getting so frustrated with my other midwife. I always had to wait, some times up to an hour past my appointment time. Then I would see her for 5 minutes and she would be out the door. I never had my questions answered or felt like she even knew my name.
So I switched to a different clinic and love them. When the midwifes previous appointment went 10 minutes over, the assistant came in and apologized and gave me a gift card to Starbucks to say sorry. I thought that was a bit over the top, but so different from the first midwife. When the midwife, Julia, did come in she introduced herself and actually sat down to talk with me and David. First thing she asked what questions I had, and if David had any questions.We were both was called by our names through out the appointment. She listened and asked clarifying questions. She was supportive of my desire to have a low intervention- unmediated birth. She answered all my questions and invited me to bring any other questions next time I come.
She was kind, personable and even made some jokes. It was like night and day. This is why I wanted to see a midwife, for a personal connection. I have been smiling all day. I am just so happy with the new clinic.

2010-06-08T13:57:00.001-06:00

This was Arora's lunch today: one bite peas-spat out, one bite carrot, one bite broccoli- spat out. two bites pasta, 2 oz orange juice. Then all done full. How is she still running everywhere??

getting ready for baby

2010-06-03T10:35:00.003-06:00

I can hardly believe it is the beginning of June! Ender will be here in no time, well sometime between 7-9 weeks. We cleaned out our closet and are getting things organized for him to arrive. We set up his bed, and that alone made it seem like he is going to be here so soon. My sister Heidi is throwing me a baby shower on June 12th. I am excited to see so many friends and family and celebrate this coming baby.
In getting ready for Ender I am thinking about things that we will do the same, and things we will do differently then we did with Arora. Some things that will be the same are: using hypnobabies for Ender's birth, Breastfeeding,and EC.
Some things that I will do differently are: Take it easy at first! I really jumped back to doing everything after Arora was born, this time I'm going to ease back into our routine. This also means asking for and accepting more help.
Also I would love to find a Le Leche League or some other breastfeeding support group to go to. I had a difficult time starting nursing Arora and I think it added a lot of stress to those first few weeks. On the same track, I need to find a GOOD nursing bra. I just bought one from Motherhood Maternity and hate it :( Of course I can't return it now because I wore it. There are pads sewn into the bra that have moved, so now they are all bunched up and look pathetic. There is no way to move them back unless I rip open a seam. It is basically not wear able.
I would love your suggestions on your favorite nursing bra.
I am trying to get arora ready for the baby. We have been reading lots of books with babies in it. We also made this poster. We talk about how babies sometime cry and what to do if a baby is crying. Such as give the baby a toy, sing a song, maybe the baby needs to go potty or is hungry etc. I think Arora will be a great big sister.

photo update

2010-05-18T10:37:00.002-06:00

We took these photos last Sunday. I am 29.5 weeks pregnant. Arora is eating the first ripe strawberry of the season.

new blog

2010-05-04T10:52:00.005-06:00

Dear Friends,
I have started a new blog. A themed blog all about mothering. Please visit it at http://meaningfulmothering.wordpress.com
I think you will all enjoy it. Please leave your comments and suggesting. I will keep this blog as a family update blog, but will be updating the other one much more often. Love Holly

2010-04-30T13:10:00.003-06:00

We finally decided to start paying for internet at home. Before we had a really spotty wireless connection from David's work. It just wasn't cutting it!
So I had some pre-labor contraction last weekend and was told to rest as much as possible this week. Then we all came down with colds. Well now I feel fine, and on Monday I will see my midwife to get the all clear for actually doing stuff again. Thanks to everyone who helped out this week.
One day I was so bored with staying at home and resting, so David suggested we have a Harry Potter marathon. he even made this little sorting hat and wand to make me smile. What a wonderful husband I have!

p.s. for some reason it will not up load the pictures But I will try again later today.

things I have learned this week

2010-04-18T11:35:00.002-06:00

1. We started making our raised beds in our garden; I love to dig, playing with that shovel was a lot of fun!
2. Even if you think your child is potty trained take a change of clothes; or you will have to go to Kmart and buy a pair of underwear and pants because you do not have time to go home before your next appointment.
3. When you are trying a new place for lunch and 1/2 and sandwich cost over $6, just leave. No tuna sandwich is THAT good.
4. I have renewed my love of garage sales. 3 baby outfits, 2 bibs, 2 blankets a toy, 3 books and a teddy bear for $3.75!
5. Go to the temple often, then get ice cream with your sweetheart.

David rides the horse

2010-04-14T00:13:00.002-06:00

One of Arora's favorite games is when Daddy rides her rocking horse. Sometimes David will really get into it.

Today I went shopping with my friend Stephanie and her baby Lexi. We went to Toys'R Us to look for doll accessories. Santa brought Arora a baby doll for Christmas. She is really starting to like it now and has been wanting to get the baby dressed. We picked up a little ducky outfit and a 6 in 1 playset. Later today I went to target to just double check I got a good deal and boy am I glad I did. Target had almost the same set, little crib, with removable changing station, carseat, bouncy chair, high chair and a baby carrier and stroller for $15. I had paid $35 at Toys' R Us! So back to Toys' R Us the first one went. We opened it up after nap and Arora loved it. We took her baby on 3 walks and ended up having a picnic dinner because she saw not done walking the baby. The only problem is, Arora was very upset that the baby did not have any shoes to put on to go outside. I don't think they make doll shoes that small but maybe we can find some newborn socks and shrink them.
When I was leaving Target, I was approached by a man (some kind of producer I think) who was looking for people who might want to be on "Super Nanny'! I guess they are going to be filming here in Portland and are looking for problem kids. I told him that Arora don't sleep. He said the studio would be in contact if they thought it would work. I would love to have Super Nanny come and help me get Arora to sleep. We have tried everything! We started putting her to bed at about 8pm, by 9 she was nowhere near asleep, 9:30 at least in bed. Now it is 10pm and she just started crying again for her circle pillow, not the square one. So aggravating.

A great saturday

2010-04-10T20:29:00.002-06:00

We all slept til seven, then ate breakfast and played in our jammies for a while. I had a little early nap while David and Arora played. Then we got ready for the day and went shopping. We finally found the brown socks David has been needing. I found cute shoes that actually fit on mega clearance for ---$5.00! Then we found Arora 3 pairs of pants and 2 shirts in the next size up for ----$10 total! We found the perfect gift for my nephews birthday next weekend. We ate lunch together in the mall food court and then came home to play some more. It was simple and satisfying. I am going to put the cameras batteries in the charge tonight so i can then load up our pictures.

ranom tidbits

2010-03-26T21:57:00.003-06:00

random tidbits of life:
Arora was eating dried apricots in the tonight. I kept telling her to chew it up before she could have another one. Then David ate one and Arora said "chew Daddy chew!"
While rocking Arora before bed each night I tell her no wiggling, if she wiggles she gets put into bed with no more rocking. The other night I needed to move her because she was slipping from my lap and she said "mommy no wiggles !"
Arora loves anything rainbow.
We did some spring cleaning and finished unpacking and organizing the last of our boxes!
David felt the baby move a few nights ago. Ender is a real mover and shaker.
Arora is daytime potty trained!! She hasn't had an accident in 2 weeks. We are still putting her in diapers for sleeping.
Arora is getting to be a MUCH better sleeper.
We finally watched New Moon. It was good, not the best movie ever, but entertaining.
I am seriously considering having a home birth.
We purchased a Zoo membership and have already gone enough to cover the cost. Every time we go now will be completely free. After we go to the Zoo Arora want to play the Waht wasthe animal doing game. it goes like this... Me : what was the Lion doing? Arora: big rock. Me: the lion was on the big rock! Arora: what beaver doing? Me: Oh what was the beaver doing? Arora: swim water! Me: the beaver was swimming in the water. and so on.
I am writing this at home we now have (patchy) internet.
We went to IKEA today and fell in love with a crib.
I have been craving Ceaser salad and Coke.

"untitled"

2010-03-05T20:42:00.003-07:00

Arora is getting so independent. She helped herself to a whole box of Kix while I was putting the laundry in the washer a few days ago. She was so proud of herself too. these are the cupcakes I made for my nephews Caleb and Mathews 3rd birthday party. I think they turned out cute. Arora loves to help me in the kitchen, especially to make bread. She likes to watch the mixer, stir with a big spoon, and really gets excited about the rolling pin. She always wants heart bread now. We try to make our own bread or rolls at least once a week. She also loves chocolate. We made a cake for my friends house warming party last weekend and Arora helped by licking the beater. Boy was she happy.

It's a Boy!!

2010-03-05T20:37:00.002-07:00

We are so excited! I had my ultrasound today and we have a healthy baby boy! I knew it was a boy. This pregnancy has been so different then Arora. We already have a name all picked out so we are ready for him to arrive... well in about 20 weeks :) He should arrive around July 28th. Arora is starting to talk about her being a big sister, though I don't think she really knows what it means. I am just so excited!

photos finally and good news!

2010-02-15T21:33:00.003-07:00

kArora's grandma brought over this bed for Arora. It used to be her Aunt Katie's like 20 years ago! Arora loves having her bed. One of Arora's honorary grandmas who live here at Rose Villa, gave her this umbrella for her birthday. She loves it and loves to take it outside for walks. Arora also was given a Mrs. Potato head set from her Mayer grandparents, obviously she loves it especially the glasses. So it looks like we may be getting some wifi soon and if we do I will be a better blogger. I miss keeping connected with everyone .
Oh and the good news is that we are expecting our second baby in July. Most people know but I had not put it on here yet. We are so excited and will find out the gender in about 3 weeks.

ok ok

2010-02-01T21:22:00.001-07:00

so I have been a very bad blogger since we moved, but we are choosing not to have internet at home so getting online is not a regular occurrence. We are all well, and happy. I would love to have a nice phone conversation with each of you who look at my blog when you have a minute. Maybe next week I will load up some pictures and actually give any update.

Graduating

2009-12-16T20:29:00.001-07:00

I just turned in my last final. That was my last assignment as a student at BYU-Idaho. Tomorrow I have to show up to one class at 7am -8:30am. Then I am completely finished!!!! This feels good!

blog issues/ update

2009-12-13T21:22:00.001-07:00

I have been trying every day for a few days now to update my blog. I was able to get one post to go through, the cupcake one. I think it is because it is finals weekend and so our internet is really busy. But I thought I would try it post with out any pictures. Arora has been doing some really cute things I want to record.
*Arora has started to say her name, either rora, or just ra. I will say something like, should mommy put her coat on first or should Arora. She will almost always say mommy first, no, rora! It is a great way to have her do something she normally wouldn't really want to do.
*She has been really cuddly and giving every one and everything kisses all the time. At bed time or naps we have to give her a kiss, then her bear a kiss and her blanket a kiss.
*Also a bed time we normally sing a few songs, if she is really tired she will just ask for kisses, no song. Or if we start to sing a song she doesn't care for, like Christmas songs she doesn't know, she will start demanding her kiss to get us to stop singing.
*This morning Arora woke up too early so I put her in bed next to me hoping to get a few extra minutes rest. She played quietly for about 45 minutes! She was having a whole conversation/signing time practice. She would sign and say: Pillow, water, cracker. Then after that was boring she started to say Awake! Awake! Then it was time to get up.
* Arora loves to dance and loves circles, so she now dances in a circle, spinning round and round.
* Arora has also learned about opposite lately, she loves running fast and walking slow, saying on and off and taking something on and off over and over, up and down open and closed. She especially loves when she says open and close and Mommy and Daddy open their eyes or mouth to her commands.
* She was 4 eye teething coming in.
* At nap time today she lied down on her bed and said and signed "dream".
*She still wont really drink milk but learned from her cousins to put milk on her cereal. Now it is one of her favorite foods.
* She loves to sign and say "funny!" Even at stuff that is not funny, but she she says it so cute I have to laugh so then it is funny.

David and I will graduate this week! Then move to Oregon on Saturday. Move in on Sunday. David will start work on Monday morning. Anyone in Portland who is willing to help us on Sunday the 20th around 2pm we would really appreciate the help. We are so excited to move back so close to family and friends and are hoping to reconnect with many we have lost touch with while out of state.

this is something I created

2009-12-12T08:38:00.001-07:00

my friend Stephanie is pregnant, due in February. I hosted a baby shower for her last weekend. These are the adorable cupcakes we made.

beautiful message

2009-12-04T13:04:00.001-07:00

This is a beautiful message and I think more people should take time to create.

Love

2009-11-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Kids Shoes

2009-11-13T15:03:00.003-07:00

Kids grow fast, which means buying new shoes often. We have had some hand-me-down shoes, but I have read that, those are not very good for growing feet. I hate spending a fortune for new shoes every 6 months. We have bought Arora shoes from, Payless, K-Mart and Walmart, (the only places here in Rexburg). Each pair of shoes has been worn out,not out grown. So end up buying more shoes. I have decided I just nee to invest in some good quality shoes. Where do you get your kids shoes?
These are from a cute collection a friend recommended. You can see the shop here See Kai Run.

love of literature + a great video

2009-11-10T10:45:00.002-07:00

I love to read, I love to immerse myself in the story. Being in a new world or situation is valuable to me. I know as a child I was always reading. This helped me, in a way, to face hard situations and learn how to tackle them. One of the books that I have a great memory of reading is J.R.R. Tolkin's "The Hobbit". If you haven't read it you should! You can see an overview of the book in this video here.
Okay that video is very silly, and the more you watch it the funnier it gets. Go ahead and watch it again.
I actually read and deeply studied "The Hobbit", last year here at BYU-Idaho. The teacher showed us that video, I went home and showed David and now it is one of our favorite videos to get a good laugh.

Can you guess?

2009-11-08T19:13:00.004-07:00

We have had this McDonald's toy for a few years now. Arora loves it becasue if you pull it back it will then race forward. It has been in her toy box for a while un-played with. One day a few weeks ago she found it and said "_____"! She was so happy to find this toy. Can you guess who she thinks it is?

Edit:
Wow, I am surprised how quickly Polly got it right, and how many others knew that Arora calls this toy "Jesus". She loves Jesus, she has another beloved Jesus "toy". This is a picture of Christ, painted by Simon Dewey. It was in the Ensign last April. I put the picture in her room, and she loved it from the start. She takes her Jesus to bed at night and makes sure it uses the Potty too. We have to stop her from giving it a bath. She loves it when we sing "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam" and she points to Jesus when we say his name. I am grateful that I can teach my daughter about the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful that we live in a land that gives us religious freedom. I am grateful for the restored church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am forever indebted to My Savior Jesus Christ, and know that through his atonement we can all be united as eternal families.

The bee family

2009-11-02T19:41:00.002-07:00

Our daughter Arora loves "Bee Movie". I'm pretty sure she could quote the whole thing.. well maybe not. But She loves it, so we decided to be a bee family for Halloween. Arora was a bee. I was the queen bee and David was the bee keeper. We had a ton of fun at the apartments complexes trunk or treat. Arora has so much candy in her bucket she couldn't carry it any more. She was very polite and would say treat, and then sign thank you at every car. She can home and ate a lot of candy before bed. But today she has forgotten about her bucket full of candy.

Funny clean videos

2009-10-30T10:44:00.004-06:00

This post is being written by my husband David,

"I wanted to invite everyone to check out my the new blog I created with a few classmates. The blog is called Funny Clean Videos. We realized that there are a lot of funny and appropriate videos online, but its often hard to find them because of all the junk out there. I think the videos are pretty entertaining, and we will be updating with new videos three times a week, so check back often.

This is a class project, and part of our grade is determined by the number of visits generated, so please tell your other friends and family about it!! If you have a blog (as I know many of you do) please consider adding a link to my blog from yours."

"Also If you have any funny clean videos please let me know".

Holly- I will add my thoughts here too, This blog is funny! I love that it is clean and I don't have to worry about what it may contain. Who doesn't want to take a few minutes a day to laugh? It is good stress release and keeps us happier and younger. So everyone visit the blog, and often to laugh and to help my husbands grade!!

You can see the blog by visiting http://funnycleanvideos.wordpress.com/

Saying goodbye to old friends

2009-10-26T10:54:00.001-06:00

This weekend I ran out of Shampoo. I thought it might never happen, see this bottle of shampoo has been with me for a long time. In December of 07, I was pregnant and feeling crummy. SO my wonderful husband sent me to a salon to have my hair done. It was very nice to feel so beautiful even when I felt as big as a house. When I was at the salson, they sold me this giant bottle of shampoo. It has lasted almost 2 years of nearly daily hair washing. Now I say good bye shampoo bottle.
In January of 06, I needed some new shoes for work. I hate buying shoes because I have small feet and they don't often fit right. David found these shoes and they fit great. I bought them and never regretted it. Now I have nearly walked through the soles and the laces have fallen apart. They are also leaving my life. I bought some new shoes this weekend and and so glad. I forgot what a nice sole felt like. So goodbye three year old shoes, you were good to my feet.

Arora's first hair cut

2009-10-17T18:29:00.004-06:00

We took Arora to have her first hair cut on Friday. It had been getting ling and scraggly. This is the before picture. I realize I only have pictures from the back for before and after. Anyway, Arora hated the haircut. We took her to Even's Hair school here in town. the girl did a really nice job of trying to be quick and make it look nice. The hair cut cost $5, but I also gave her a $5 tip because she was so nice. She gave Arora a lolly pop afterward and Arora was instantly happy again. I think it looks very nice and am glad we took her.

p.s. I got one from the front today.

Mayer family this week

2009-10-11T21:21:00.004-06:00

Here is us before church, today. We went to the doctor or Friday and her blood work is clean and normal. She is starting to feel better. She has a major tantrum today after church she wanted to play computer and we said no. She cried/ screamed/ kicked/fretted etc for HOURS. Finally we went for a drive and listened to the MoTab. it calmed her down, until we cam home and see saw the computer again. It was a long day and she was very happy to go to bed tonight.

Poor Arora

2009-10-07T17:11:00.000-06:00

We all were sick a few weeks ago and Arora is having a hard time getting well. She has has bad diarrhea for over 10 days now. Her doctor gave us some medicine for her and she is on a strict no animal product diet. It is very messy and potty training has been put on hold. We have already used more pull-ups in the last 10 days, then in the last 2 months. We would appropriate all your thoughts and prayers for her.

want to win free food?

2009-09-27T19:11:00.001-06:00

Follow the link to enter to win a year of free food!!!!

http://www.itpaystoeatpasta.com/ip.cfm?u=434327EF-FDB7-4F03-A568-236055B9243E

helpful Arora

2009-09-26T18:24:00.005-06:00

Arora has become a mini me in the past few weeks. She loves to help me clean up, fold laundry and put things in to the garbage can. Last month she was all about being with daddy, but now she wants mommy. It is nice to feel so loved and admired. Today I was talking with my friend in the kitchen , I was leaning against the wall. Arora comes over and declare that it is her turn. I don't know what she wants a turn with but move over to her. She promptly goes and leans against the wall exactly how I was. It was adorable. She also spilt some juice on the floor, when handed a paper towel she cleaned it up and did not want me to have a turn.
Arora loves tv. As much as I have tried to limit screen time she has inherited her fathers love for tv. Right now she is absolutely obsessed with "Bee Movie". She would watch it night and day if we let her. It has to travel with her to the baby sitters and she has even slept wit the case a few nights because I could not pry it out of her hands.

Arora has her first chore

2009-09-18T16:26:00.003-06:00

Arora has her first chore. She helps to unload the dishwasher. She has to wash her hands first, then we get a chair out and she can stand on it. She knows where each of the utensils goes. She likes to match the biiigg forks and the biiigg spoons best. She also can put away the cups and her plastic plates and bowls. She loves to help and we almost always sing the happy song. The words go like this,
" When we're helping we're happy and we sing as we go, for we love to help ________ for we all love them so.(insert mom daddy Jesus etc) tra la la la la la la la, tra la la la la la, tra la la la la la la, tra la la la la la." She then will always say more sing. So we sing again with someones else's name.

I can catch

2009-09-08T11:46:00.003-06:00

David has been teaching Arora to catch a ball. She loves it so much and is really good at it. She is also starting to be sympathetic. Whenever she sees anyone upset or crying she get sad. She says "sorry" and gives hugs and kisses. She is quite in love with the little boy next store. His name is Alex and she wants to say hi to him every time we walk by his house. Which is often because it is next to the park. We are happy she likes him so much because she will go over there a few hours a week when David and I are both in classes. Alex also has a twin sister named Evie. And they sign, so they speak her language which is a big plus.

Arora enjoys the stary night

2009-09-08T11:44:00.001-06:00

I think this photo speaks for itself. She has been asking for cake ever since.

Stary night

2009-09-05T18:03:00.003-06:00

This is my version of Stary Night by Vincent Van Gogh. I wanted to make one more set of cupcakes before school stated and life got busy. I think they turned out well.

New Niece

2009-09-04T07:14:00.003-06:00

We are so excited to have a new little niece born yesterday.Good luck Katie, Bryan and baby!!! Can't wait to meet you. This means Arora has 14 cousins from my side and 19 from David side.
Plus we have one more cousin "in the oven" still.

Found It!

2009-08-31T15:24:00.003-06:00

When we were moving to Oregon in April I lost my wedding ring.

TODAY I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was in my jewelery box all along. I swear I have looked there many times and it was not there. Today I wanted to get out a necklace and there was my engagement ring and wedding band. Heavenly Father truly was looking out for me. I feel so blessed.

Finger Paint

2009-08-26T19:13:00.004-06:00

Today I made Arora some finger paint it was really easy and highly washable too.
I got the recipe from Familyfun.com
"Sure it's messy, but in the summertime, cleaning off finger paints can be as simple as dashing through the sprinkler. Here's a recipe for washable paints that will keep your artists well supplied.

Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/3 cup of cornstarch in a saucepan, then slowly add 2 cups of cold water. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture is a clear, smooth gel. When cool, stir in 1/4 cup of liquid dishwashing soap. Scoop into plastic containers, and stir in food coloring drops ."

some picture from rexburg

2009-08-26T19:08:00.005-06:00

Here are a few pictures of our place in Rexburg. You see David on our computer in the living room. And the kitchen. It is kind of small but has a nice big dining room. Arora's favorite part is the park in our back yard. we are out there 2-3 times a day.

Home in rexburg

2009-08-22T11:05:00.003-06:00

We are home in Rexburg! These are some pictures from the last month. All taken at the parents house in Oregon. I am so glad to be back in Rexburg. It is so nice to have our own space and our own stuff again. Arora is adjusting well and loves having a park in the back yard. We have also found the the library here also has her favorite DVD's "Signing Time". We are getting unpacked and Arora loved her own room. She is still sleeping in the closet, she likes it very dark at night to sleep. Luckily her mattress fit in the closet and she is nice and cozy in there. Arora is potty trained, except at night. She loved to color (thanks Julia) and likes when we trace her hands on the paper. David and I have had a bit of a cold since we got here but are finally feeling better. School doesn't start til the 9th so we have a little play time still.

Letter fun

2009-08-07T16:12:00.003-06:00

Arora has been learing her letters and is very peticular about it. One time David pointed to a 0 and said zero, Arora looked at him like "Dad!" then she said "ooooh!" Also she has started calling "p" potty. She has 2 favorite letters. "w"(dubua) And "r" (RRRRR).

august 2 2009

2009-08-02T16:38:00.004-06:00

Here are 2 pictures from our trip to the beach a few weekends ago. Arora is finishing David's ice cream cone from the Tillamook Cheese Factory. A must stop at place on the Oregon coast. The other is Arora and I flying a kite. Arora actually didn't like the beach . It was too windy and too sandy for her.
We went on our second camping trip this week. It was cut short when Arora puked all over the tent and everything in it. Oh well, we still had a nice time. Hopefully next year we will have more luck camping. We only have 2 weeks left in Oregon. It is weird to think about going back to Rexburg and school. I am looking forward to it. We have some great friends back there that I really miss. I have been "mentally moving in". Trying to figure out where all our stuff will go in our new apartment. It is 2 bedrooms whereas our last was a roomy 3 bedroom. I'm sure it will be fine and feel like home in no time.

update

2009-07-21T09:41:00.003-06:00

We are still in Oregon and loving every minute of it. We went camping, had a family reunion, my grandpa Jack passed away, We had is funeral and saw a lot of my dad's family. We went to the Children's Museum a few more times Arora has anther new tooth and I think she is working on another one today. We were in a parade,where our float( for Rose Villa) won first prize. We went to the beach. Arora has really started talking and is learning her letters. So far she knows O, S and C. We are really working on the potty training. She is doing great! She has 1-2 misses on average for a day. That is normally when she is focused on playing. We have another camping trip planned, canoe camping actually. We will be heading back to Idaho around the 10-15 of August. We are happy, healthy and busy.

blogger just not working for me

2009-06-23T16:26:00.003-06:00

I have been trying to post for a while but it is just not working. I think it is b/c of the internet connection out here. Any way we are going camping this week and then will have a family reunion. SO we will be really busy. I probably wont try to post anything for a while.

This is for me

2009-06-12T22:00:00.003-06:00

When we came out to Oregon for the summer I had to pack most of our things into storage. I debated whither to bring Arora's baby book or not. I packed it. So this post is to remind me to write in it when we get back.
Arora got 2 upper teeth in may 09, one on each side but with gaps for her eye teeth
June 12: bottom right came in and one back tooth on the bottom left came in over night.
Edit : she now another coming on on the bottom left.

Arora goes to nursery

2009-06-08T10:54:00.002-06:00

In our church toddlers can go to the nursery to play and learn at 18 months old. I have been waiting for Arora to be old enough for months. It was hard to keep her happy through 3 hours of church with just one bag of toys. She did fairly well but it was impossible to pay attention in my lessons. Last week she was getting very noisy and David decided to take her to the nursery to try it out. She did great! She played nice and sat still for the lesson. Even though she is a little young ( 17m) they said she could start coming because she was so good. So yesterday I took her to nursery, she went in like it was nothing . SO many of the other kids were clutching their parents and crying, or running around like hooligans. After church was over. the nursery leader,Sister Pass, said she has never seen such a young child be so well behaved!! OH Yeah!! I must be doing something right as a parent!

lets see if I can get two in a row?

2009-06-06T11:34:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday Kaylee!!
I made these sharks for Kaylee's 5th birthday party. I can't believe she is so grown up I remember when she was born, such a miracle.

well one worked

2009-06-06T10:19:00.003-06:00

I tried to make the pictures smaller and one worked. But I think Stephanie is right. The internet connection out here is really bad. We live outside of town and the internet we have is with a small company. It is also wireless and it flickers on and off all the time. Maybe I will put my pictures on a thumb drive and load them up on my in-laws computer.
But here is one picture of Arora, she is a stair climbing pro!
Here she is with a sucker last Sunday, boy what a mess. We hosed her down afterward and she had a bath. You can kind of see the drool/sticky lines down her arm and tummy.

picture time

2009-06-03T23:04:00.002-06:00

I wish. I don't know why but blogger isn't recognizing my pictures. I am using the same camera, the same program and they are the right file (jpg). It takes forever, then says it is not the right format and please change it to a jpg file. Or it will let me up load one at a time but it has flaws in the picture. Anyone know why???

Celestial Pursuit

2009-05-30T12:31:00.002-06:00

Most of you know the game Trivia Pursuit. If you are LDS you may know the game "Celestial Pursuit". It was made in the early '80's, and our family has a copy. The other day we had my sister Heidi and her husband Keenan over to play a game. We realized too late that my parents have no fun games. We started playing monopoly but were kind of bored. Then one of us thought of Celestial Pursuit. I said I could not answer 1 question right. David said he could, in fact he bet us (me, Heidi and Keenan) that he could get a whole card of questions right. The bet was set to he would have to be our servant for the rest of the evening if he could not get 3/6 questions right. I was confidant we would win.
The questions are so hard and ridiculous. You would think, if you knew enough stuff from the bible and church history you would do okay but not so. Here is one of the questions.
" How long did Cain hate his brother?"
*

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*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

* the answer is
"as long as he was Abel".
Ridiculous! Some of the other questions were, who was the first secretary of the state Utah, and what was the original name to long forgotten poem.
We won the bet and David had to make us popcorn and do the dishes.

Weaning again

2009-05-27T10:28:00.002-06:00

When Arora was born I had a goal to nurse for at least the first year. It was hard sometimes, like when I started school agian, but so worth it. A few months ago I was getting tired of nursing so we started to focus on weaning. We have slowly stopped nursing as much, and have been offering more food and drink to Arora.
Yesterday, we stopped nursing for good. I talked to Arora about how mommy's milk was all gone and that we can still have loves and cuddles. We have been having more cuddles and more big hugs. We are keeping very busy too so there isn't as much time for boredem nursing. So far it is going great. I think Arora understands there is no more nursing, and that I love her.
I am so gratful that I have been able to nurse my daughter, it has been a great bonding experiance for us. It amazes me how grown up she is, almost a year and a half.

do unto others

2009-05-21T10:32:00.002-06:00

Arora has been not so happy when it comes time to brush her teeth lately. So I bought her another tooth brush. That way she holds one and I can still brush her teeth. Arora had another idea of what to do with the extra tooth brush. Brush Mommy's teeth. So now I open wide and let her "brush" my teeth. She also opens wide and I can brush her teeth. She is such a little helper.

2009-05-16T16:57:00.002-06:00

I love spring time, there is so much to do, so much that is alive and growing. We started some serious work on our garden today. We are expanding it to about twice it's size so we are tilling up the new area and getting it ready to plant. We have only planted radishes so far but hope to get much more i nthe ground over the next few days. David is doing great as an intern. Arora is growing and learning each day. I am enjoying the time of relaxation and trying to improve areas of my life too.
I am reading a great book. It is called "Atlas Shrug" by Ayn Rand. it was written in the 1950'3 but is it so spot on what is going on in our nation today. I am also making and strengthening friendships. My friend Anna and I will take our kids to the Portland Children's Museum on Monday. I may be going to the Zoo with my friend Ashley this week too. We learned that you can check out passes to a lot of attractions in the Portland area from the library. FOR FREE! Just the pass to the Children's Museum will save us $24. I am very excited.
I am also part of a baking group that meets every tuesday. So far we have met twice and have made, white bread and chocolate orange muffins. This week it is my turn to host it and will teach this great recipe for rolls.
We try to go to the park every day and Arora is becoming more and more confidant with running and climbing. She can go up and down stairs by herslf now. She is getting 2 more top teeth, and has been sleeping really well the past few nights.

happy mothers day!

2009-05-11T16:16:00.000-06:00

and time ticks on

2009-05-01T19:55:00.003-06:00

We are getting settled here now, and are starting to have a daily routine. Arora is starting to feel better from her ear infections, and David started his internship. He is doing great! They are having a "manners 101" class tomorrow for grade school kids. Someone else was planning it and not doing a great job, so they put David on the job. We will see how it turns out tomorrow. I am slowly adjusting to having so much time. No classes and no homework is nice, but kind of boring. If anyone has ideas I would love it, especially during Arora's nap time. I just finished listening to a book, Fablehaven #4. It was great. If you haven't read them you should the first book was slow but they get better each book. Sorry there are no pictures, I just unpacked the camera so we will start taking pictures again soon.
Arora had learned 2 new words, yes and no. It is nice to know what she wants but also not so nice when she is screaming "nah nah nah noo". But I guess she is developing the way she should. Since we have been here we have babysat a few of our neices and nephews. They sure are silly kids. Josh was great at pushing Arora's stroller. Sarah loves riding her bike and Kat was great at putting the stuffed bunny down the slide, Arora was laughing so hard at that. Hannah and Abby love to be scared. Ashley and Emily were very wary of me but loved David. Kaylee is a little showoff with her spelling and reading. Caleb almost climbs into the toilet to go pee. And baby Ethan is so huggable. We have so many to get to know out here!

ear infection # ?

2009-04-25T12:11:00.003-06:00

Arora is sick again. wow is that even news anymore, we had to take her to the urgent care out here this morning, temp 102.5, and 2 ear infections. now she will have a 14 day course of Augmentin. The doctor strongly suggested tubes for her ears. We will see about it when we get back to Idaho.

edit: we just got home from the pharmacy and they will not take our insurance, so we had to pay $150 for her medicine, uhh.

In oregon

2009-04-20T10:13:00.002-06:00

Arora and I arrived in Oregon on Saturday evening safe and sound. We are glad to be here at my parents house, we are grateful to have a place to stay. We saw a lot of our family yesterday, as they have a big family dinner twice a month. Arora also met some 5 day old kitties, she wants to play with them. I think she should wait til they get a little more sturdy. So far we haven't been able to sell our apartment. We are praying someone will come along soon. David will be joining us out here on Wednesday night, he is driving out car out. Not much to say. All you folks, have a great day!

thought I would brag a bit

2009-04-15T15:26:00.002-06:00

Final Grade Display

HOLLY MAYER

Department	Course	Section	Course Title	Final Grade	Credit	Points
CA	160	2	CUL FUND	A	3.0	12.0
FDAMF	101	20	AMERICAN FOUND	A-	3.0	11.1
FDREL	221	1	MISS BK MORMON	A-	4.0	14.8
HFED	150	1	PRACTICL HMKG	A-	2.0	7.4

at the park

2009-04-13T14:52:00.002-06:00

Here we are at the park 2 weeks ago. I have been trying to load these for a while, but they wouldn't work. Arora loves the park and it is more often then not that a major fit happen when we have to leave. This is our good friend, "auntie" Stephanie, helping Arora on the slide. Arora can now do it all be herself, climb the stairs sit on the slide, push off and get off the slide!

feeling lame

2009-04-13T14:42:00.002-06:00

only one person wants a gift from me :(

How lonely, anyone else out there in cyberspace looking for a nice little homemade something...?

Anyway we sure have been busy since school got out last Thursday. We went down to Provo from my friends wedding reception and stayed with some family. We all had a great time, and I think Arora really liked playing with her cousins. We had a little Easter Egg hunt. Arora had no idea what was going on, but she likes to put things in and take things out, so she did quite good at getting eggs. Now we are back in Rexburg, packing cleaning, and trying to sell the apartment still. We move our stuff out on Friday and leave Saturday morning. I am very happy to be flying to Oregon. Arora had a huge melt down just on the trip to Provo and is very wary about getting in the car now.

pay it forward

2009-04-09T17:29:00.002-06:00

This is a little blog game called "Pay it forward". How it works: The FIRST THREE people to leave a comment on this post will receive at some point during this year a gift from ME. What it will be and when it will arrive will be a total surprise. The CATCH is that YOU MUST PLAY TOO! Before you leave your comment here, write a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (you can cut and paste these instructions). Then come back and let me know that you are going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift. So, to all my family and friends, don't make me feel like a dork. Leave a comment and play along! I've decided that the gifts I give will be something handcrafted by me. So it might be cookies (if you live close), or a something I would sew, or something that grows in the garden. Whatever I decide, it will be a surprise, but I think you will like it. Have fun!

kix'ed over

2009-04-05T07:18:00.001-06:00

Last night I was trying to clean up some of Arora's toys in the living room. Arora was playing nicely in the kitchen ....Then she got into the pantry. She found the 1/4 full box of Kix and dumped them out. Well at least she is happy.

Moving to Oregon!

2009-04-03T17:10:00.001-06:00

Before we moved to Idaho, David and I worked for a company called Rose Villa. We loved it there. Now David has been offered an internship there to do PR work for them this summer! We are so excited for this great opportunity for David's career, and know it is a blessing strait from Heavenly Father. We are so excited to be in Oregon too. We will be living with my parents.
Arora's top reasons to be excited: playing with cousins, grandparents and other family members, playing with grandmas cats, and playing outside!
Holly's top reasons to be excited: Warm weather! tons of family! and All the things I love to do in Oregon, like the farmers markets and going to the beach.
David's top reasons to be excited: It will be great for his career, "the green", family and friends. He already has a game of ultimate Frisbee planned.

On the down side we still have finals to take next week. A sick little girl to help get better. Selling our apartment, packing cleaning... the list goes on. But all that doesn't counter act the excitement.

a week full of cake

2009-03-31T10:16:00.003-06:00

Last week I had a friends birthday so I made her some sunflower cupcakes and took them to school. What a hit they were. I think I was the most popular kid there.
Then on Saturday I had my awesome girls day where I made this plate of spaghetti. Yum-O
For my girls day if you could not come but would like to order something from "uppercase living" you still can until Saturday. And all the expressions are buy 1 get one 1/2 off!!! That means get something for you and something for a gift or for Easter, or plan for mothers day... They really make great gifts and are so cute!
Click here to see the catalog online.http://shaylenh.uppercaseliving.net/

Mostly for family

2009-03-28T10:02:00.002-06:00

Dear Family and friends,
Some of you may know that my dad's dad, Grandpa Jack is quite sick. He is living with my parents now and still not doing very well. I don't know if any of you have spent much time with elderly people but I have, and they have a special part of my heart. I know my parents must be very busy trying to take care of grandpa's needs and trying to figure out what is best for him. It is a hard decision to make, keep him there at home or try and find a place where he would be safe, cared-for and some what happy. I worked for nearly 5 years in the nursing home field. I know that there are some wonderful homes for elderly people, and there are some places I would never put my grandparents in. Grandpa never wanted to be a sick old man, or to be a burden on his family, his wish would be to die quickly when he could no longer take care of himself. I selfishly wish to see him one more time, as we all do for our loved ones. But perhaps it would be more loving for me to pray that he could pass quickly. I know that working with the elderly has thought me great things. Love, patience, empathy, acceptance and much more that I can not put into words. For some of the people who I had the honor of working with I think maybe they were kept here on earth to teach me something. Some of my most uplifting memories and lessons learned are from people who did not even know me. Their Alzheimer's was to the stage that every day was a new day and every face a new face. Is there something left for someone to learn form my grandfather?

world's greatest

2009-03-23T18:08:00.002-06:00

I have the worlds smartest, most caring, loving husband in the world! He has been getting consistently great grades, looking for a job for the summer, helping around the house, and getting up with Arora at night! Wow! How does one man do it? He must be a super hero. I am so grateful to be married to David. I am so glad we were married in the LDS Temple, where we were sealed together for all eternity. I don't even wan to think the words "till death do us part". I think that makes secular marriages so sad. I have found my life partner and want to spend all my time all my days and all of eternity with him. I can't believe we have only been married for 2.5 years.

2009-03-20T17:42:00.002-06:00

ATTENTION ALL FEMALES!!
COME ONE ! COME ALL !
TO A FABULOUS GIRLS DAY
WHEN: SAT. MARCH 28TH--12PM-2PM
WHERE: MY APARTMENT
MY GOOD FRIEND IS COMING TO GIVE A DEMO FOR "UPPERCASE LIVING" A VINYL LETTER CO. IT IS SO CUTE, YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH THEIR PRODUCTS!
FOOD, FUN, FRIENDS!

Yippee!

2009-03-16T13:06:00.003-06:00

We have officially night weaned Arora, and for the last 2 nights she has slept all night! 12 hour and 11.5 hours respectively with out waking up at all. I feel so refreshed in the morning because I get more sleep now then I have in a long time. David has been so wonderfully supportive too. He got up with her for the first 2 nights and helped her to get back to sleep. Arora is getting more and more independent. She loves to help brush her hair and her teeth. She is fascinated with shoes and constantly wants to put them on and off her stuffed animals. Although she doesn't like shoes on her own feet. Yesterday she took a tissue and ripped it into a million pieces then stuffed them in one of David's shoes. She also has this little book about Humpty Dumpty it has a button that you push and it plays a tune. Well she plays with it all the time and now the battery must be dying because it is all distorted. She doesn't mind, but it drives me crazy.
Arora loves putting things in the trash and when she gets a diaper change will hop up and take the diaper to the nearest trash can. We have had to teacher "yuck!" to keep her out of the trash. And now she says "uck" too and is very proud of herself when she knows if something is "uck". We love going to the local library, they have these theme kits with all kinds of fun stuff. There are books and games and puppets and videos that all follow a theme so far we have checked out "bees" "turtles" and "daddies". Arora loves the bees best. Most of the things are way past her ability but she loves the boxes and begs to get them at the library.

calling all mothers

2009-03-10T07:14:00.002-06:00

Last night I officially deiced it is time. Time to wean Arora. While I know this is the right time for me and for her, it is still difficult to do. SO I am calling all mothers!! Please give me some encouraging words, tell me it will work out and that this WILL help her sleep through the night. Tell me your stories of weaning and how you managed. Thank you!

update

2009-03-09T11:01:00.002-06:00

So Arora started to have a low fever with some vomiting and super crankiness this weekend so I took her to the Doctor this morning. She has a double ear infection. So now we have her on some amoxacillian and hope she will feel better soon.
If people are wondering the cupcake idea came from this cool book I have called "Hello, Cupcake! ("http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Cupcake-Irresistibly-Playful-Creations/dp/0618829253?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235048290&sr=1-2)
It has some cool ideas for April fools day that I will be making at my girls day on March 28th. So Anyone local please come! More info to come next week.

holds her own

2009-03-08T16:49:00.001-06:00

Arora has finally learned to hold her own cup! I am so glad that she can have a drink when she is thirsty now and not when I think she might want a drink. It took her a long time to figure out the tipping the cup up to get a drink.

happy birthday Stephanie!!!!!

2009-03-08T10:21:00.003-06:00

My very good friend Stephanie had her 23rd birthday yesterday. On Friday we made these cupcakes for the party. It was fun and exciting to use my cup cake book again. I think it turned out amazing!

Getting better

2009-03-06T10:36:00.003-07:00

Well Arora is slowly getting better. The neighbors kids are sick with the same crud. They went to the Dr and were sent home with "its a virus wait it out". So that is what we are doing. Last Sunday we had some friends over for dinner, so I took the opportunity to cook some things I learned in my cooking class. This is a pork roast that I braised, glazed carrots and duchess potatoes. It turned out very yummy and I do love cooking.
I am going to be signing up for classes for the spring this Sunday. This will be my last semester, then I will have my associates degree and can decide where I want to go from there. I have 4 required classes left : a science class, Developing world, Family foundations, communication class. Then for fun I am going to take the Baking class!! So that is 5 classes but only 12 credits. I hope it works okay for us.
Just for fun I thought I would post a picture of Arora from last March.

#3

2009-03-02T22:33:00.002-07:00

Arora has yet another cold this is the third one this year. yup in 2009 alone she as been sick 3 times. What a pain. i feel so bad for her but there is not much we can do. she has her pooh bear humidifier on full blast and her room feels like it is the jungle. She is up crying right now and nothing I am doing is helping in the least so now I am just hoping she falls asleep soon. Last night she was up about every hour, she s just so stuffed. We use the little noses stuff but it only helps temporarily. I wanted to go to bed an hour ago but I simply can not sleep when she is crying. And David is still up doing homework on the computer next to me so... here I am blogging.
Arora is learning so much she can point to eyes nose mouth and hair when you say them. She also learned the sign for thank you today. I will try and get a picture of her signing soon it is just so cute. Also she officially has 6 teeth now: 2 bottom and 4 top. Which also means she is biting me... ouch! I have been thinking more and more about weaning but don't want to rush it and don't really know where to start with her. Maybe when she gets over this cold I will thing about it more.
David is doing so good is school and applied for a really good internship opportunity for the summer. So we will see what comes of that. i am still enjoying school and going to the gym most days around 6 am.
Ah I think she is quiet Good Night

soup and service

2009-02-26T09:54:00.002-07:00

In my cooking class a few weeks a go I learned how to make Carrot bisque. It is a really different mix of flavors and is so tasty. You can see this must be true because David doesn't really like vegetables or soup and he is chowing down.
I also have been making my french bread into bowls so we cut out the middle and serve the soup right in the bread bowl. It is YUM-O as Rachel Ray would say.
Last week our good friend had an emergency surgery. SO I thought we would make a pot of soup. David asked for more Carrot soups so we made that. It was nice taking it over to the family. Then the next day we wanted to have some new friens over for soup and bread after church. Well the wife was sick so we took it over to them. SO that pot of soup fed many people, some sick, some hurt and some happy. I love when I am able to use my talents to help someone. It make me personally feel so good about myself. I am grateful I have been taught to help those in need.

finally some pictures

2009-02-26T09:47:00.002-07:00

The other day I caught a little thief in action. Arora loves to get in to the pantry when I mistakenly leave it open. She opened up the box of Cheerios and started chowing down.

sign laungage is so awesome!

2009-02-19T09:55:00.002-07:00

After high school I worked at a day care called "little angels". It was for children and their families who has some special need that was keeping them out of traditional day cares. Some of the children there has Downs syndrome or autism. Most had a hard time communicating. some of the children would use ASL . This was my first real introduction to sign language and I was fascinated. I decided to take some ASL classes from the local college. They were so fun and I learned a lot. then I helped teach one of my nieces a bit of sign, that was cool too. Now I am teachin Arora to sign. it is so fun and helpful. She doesn't have real words to tell us what she wants or needs but she has learned a few signs to help. So far she does
More,
All done
Milk- nurse
Ball and
Book.
We have been working on potty for a long time but she doesn't do it. I think it has helped us to "talk" about what she is wanting and helped to see her as a little person not just a baby. Which is one of my main parenting goals. I think everyone should teach a bit of sign so here is a helpful website.

http://www.babies-and-sign-language.com/
You will be amazed at what your kids can do.

2009-02-18T09:17:00.002-07:00

There is a poster at school that has this saying on it. I thought it was clever and so so here it is:
7 days + 0 exercise makes 1 weak.

EC paper

2009-02-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband wrote a paper about EC for school. I thought I would post it here for all to enjoy. Feel free to post questions in the comments!

Ditching Diaper Dependency
PARENTS OF INFANTS EXCITED ABOUT DIAPER ALTERNATIVE
By David Mayer
REXBURG, Idaho- During these trying economic times it seems that many people would do just about anything to save some extra money, especially if you are a parent. Well, what if there was a way to save on diapers before your child is even old enough to walk? It may sound unrealistic unless you’ve ever heard of Elimination Communication.
Elimination Communication, or EC as it is often called by those who practice it, is a potty training technique that begins at infancy. One of the basic premises of the technique is that, like most baby mammals, human babies have a basic instinct to not “soil the nest,” but that instinct is suppressed in most infants when they are taught to eliminate into a diaper.
Elimination Communication teaches parents how to watch for their child’s natural cues, and then allow them to eliminate in a designated way (holding them over a toilet, sitting them on a small training toilet, etc.) It also teaches parents how to train their child when it is OK to eliminate by making a cue sound (usually a sound like “shhh” or “psss”) while offering them a chance to eliminate in their designated way.
Arora Mayer was born in Rexburg, and was only three weeks old when her mother, Holly Mayer, began the EC program. “It was more difficult at the beginning than it is now,” says Holly Mayer, “but it was also very rewarding because I felt like it was something I could really do for my baby.”
She also felt that it helped with her develop in her role as a first time mother. “It gave me an opportunity to get to know her needs,” says Mayer. “It has helped me see her more like a person whose needs and schedule should be respected just as much as mine.”
Arora is now 1 year old, and according to her parents she is already very aware of her elimination needs. “She’s able to hold it a lot longer, and she decides where and when she wants to go,” says Mayer. “We definitely use a ton less diapers now. We usually only have to use two diapers a day.”
Laurie Boucke also felt that bonding and communication were major benefit of her EC experience, adding environmental as another worthwhile benefit for her. Boucke is the author of Infant Potty Training: A Gentle and Primeval Method Adapted to Modern Living, and creator of the DVD “Potty Whispering.”
Boucke learned about EC from a friend in India. She says that she was quite skeptical in the beginning, but after a few demonstrations and tries of her own, those feelings turned to enthusiasm. She says to any moms or dads who are skeptical, “I was skeptical too. Give it a try anyway.”
Boucke says that her greatest challenge was the guilt that she felt if she was ever “late for a pee.” She cautions parents new to EC to “Relax, avoid stress, don’t expect perfection.”
Of course, EC is not for every parent or child. Melanie Sorensen is a stay-at-home mother of three in Rexburg who decided to pass on EC after looking into it.
"The reason that I didn’t do it is because I have three kids, I’m potty training my second child, and I just don’t have the time,” says Sorensen. “By the time I heard of EC it was with my third child, and I just can’t handle potty training two kids at the same time."
Mayer admits that it requires time and attention to get started, but she sees it more as an investment that pays off in the long run. She is hoping that spending the time to do EC now will save her and Arora from potty training challenges in the future.
Despite Arora Mayer’s apparent success at EC, she declined to comment on her personal feelings regarding the program. However, her parents are sure she will be happy to prepare a statement as soon as she learns how to talk.

1 year pictures

2009-02-10T10:59:00.002-07:00

here is the link to Arora's pictures. click on the link then enter the site. click on clients and then you will see Arora click on her. Enjoy!
ps. any one can order pictures from Heidi if you wish to. We may be having another short shoot to get more pictures with out the tutu.

http://www.heidisuephotography.com/

this week

2009-02-06T23:01:00.002-07:00

This week I cut up a whole chicken and made stock, then turned that in tho a delicious pot of Creme Du Barry soup. Made french bread rolls and used them for soup bowls. I also used some of the chicken for enchiladas. I finished reading the Book of Mormon ( in 3 weeks flat). I learned how to make 3 of the 5 "Mother" sauces. I became an auntie again, Isabella Grimwood was born on 2-5 and is nice and healthy. Hopefully my brother will send me a picture soon. in the last 2 weeks I have gone to the gym 5 times, tomorrow will make #6 and that is at 5:45 in the morning. Tomorrow I am going to "compete" in a Magic : the Gathering card game turnament.

a sneak peak

2009-02-01T12:06:00.002-07:00

We had our good friend take Arora's pictures earlier this month. They will be online for everyone to see in a few days but if you follow the link you can have a sneak peak. Thank you Heidi !
http://heidisuephoto.blogspot.com/

this week

2009-01-31T17:30:00.002-07:00

Arora has gotten to the phase where she doesn't want to be fed. Most of the time it is fine she can pick up small foods just fine. She also loves yogurt and feeding herself and eating yogurt is a messy messy experience. it only happens right before bath time.

Some of Arora's new favorite foods: freeze dried raspberries and blueberries, grated cheese, bits of chicken and anything that I am eating.

We brought Arora these little bowls and plates at target last week and she thinks they are so cool. We baby sat some friends kids last weekend their 2 year old was walking around with snacks and Arora wanted some too. I gave in and now she wants to walk around with snacks all the time. She knows there is often a snack baggie in the diaper bag and will fish it out.

We receive a package this week from my mom this week for Arora's birthday. It is this spinning toy and she loves it. She wants to carry it around with her but it is a little to big for her.

The next two are my favorite. In 2005 my family had reunion in Disneyland, some of my siblings and I drove down the coast of California, camping along the way to get down there. One day we stopped at a Taco Bell, I had a kids meal and the this mustache was the toy. We have pictures with my then one year old, neice having this in her mouth. It was so funny seeing a baby with a mustach. I have kept this and some times will sneak up to David and say "give me a kiss" then he will turn around and I will have the mustach mouth. Always Funny.

cold

2009-01-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

it is -19 today!!!!!

2009-01-23T10:37:00.002-07:00

Another week down, that makes 3 weeks of school down and only 9 to go! wow time sure flies. So far in school I have learned how to clarify butter, make 3 kids of roux, cut up a whole chicken, make stock, sharpen knives. I have read over 200 pages of the Book of Mormon. I have learned about inalienable rights, the rule of law, the events leading up to and through the Declaration of Independence. I have learned about arranging furniture an that my style is a "summer". And we still have more then half to go!

Amazing child

2009-01-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Arora did the most wonderful thing this morning. She was sitting on her little potty and went pee. then she hopped off and started playing so I took the potty washed it out and put it on the floor by the bathroom to dry. She then crawled over to the potty and flipped in over and looked at me. I sat her on the potty again and she pooped! yes! she knows to go in the potty! So exciting.

ear infection

2009-01-18T13:17:00.003-07:00

I am sick of being sick. I have had a cold for 2 weeks and now it has morphed into a nasty ear infection:( I have 60 pages of the Book of Mormon to read by Tuesday. ( we are reading the book in 4 weeks) Plus there is online work for that class too. I am whining and I know it waaaah, waahh.

moving for reals ( we hope)

2009-01-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

we are trying to move to save a bit of money, and found an apartment we really like. So now we need to sell our contract. Any one looking to move? or know someone who is looking to move?

a fun week

2009-01-12T19:53:00.003-07:00

Arora is here just after dinner tonight, doing here hulk hogan impression.

This is Arora at her birthday party on Saturday. We had a great time with lots of friends over. Arora was starting to enjoy opening gifts, but then she got this musical toy and that was all she wanted to play with.

Here are some of the cupcakes I made for the party.

pictures from aroras birthday

2009-01-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Resolutions

2009-01-03T20:17:00.002-07:00

David and I are teaching Sunday school tomorrow about making goals. So I thought I would write my new years Resolutions down here.

1. Think before I eat so I can continue losing weight and becoming a healthier me.

2. Use my gym membership 3 or more times a week.

3. Enjoy this time I have to be in school.

A joke?

2009-01-03T00:16:00.002-07:00

So this week has not been good for babysitters. The first girl whom we hired months ago quit via email, then we found another sitter who seamed to be experienced and very nice. Well today David gets an email from her asking if she can live with us because she doesn't have any where else to live.

Yup school starts on Wednesday and she doesn't have a place to live and there is no way she is going to live here. First it is against the schools rules, secondly she doesn't even know if we live in a 1 bed room apartment or what. So I do not want someone so irresponsible taking care of my daughter.
So I wonder what sitter # 3 will bring. Maybe a seeing eye dog? Maybe is a cannibal? Who knows but this I do know school starts in less then a week and we have no sitter.

Happy Birthday!!

2009-01-01T22:57:00.002-07:00

Arora turned One today! I had been feeling quite emotional about this but today went well. We started the day by both Dave and I going in to her at 6 when she woke up and singing happy birthday. We played all her favorite games and even read her favorite book over and over. We were able to borrow a friends camera and we did a 1 year old photo shoot. I think some turned out really good. I will load them up tomorrow. We went to pick up her free cake from the bakery but the cake decorator was off for the holiday so she will have tomorrow. She enjoyed opening her gift from us, a little push along bike. David is having a hard time putting it together though. We filmed Arora picking out her clothes this morning which she loves to do. She almost always picks purple. Arora also loves songs with actions and signs. She has started to try to mimic me when I sing the ABC song and finger spell along with it. She even looks at David like "come on dad there are action!" Even though Dave doesn't do many signs with her. I wonder what her next sign will be. Arora walked to me today. It was a great gift. I wonder when she will start really walking. Altogether it was a nice relaxing day. It will be nice that Arora will never have to go to school on her birthday, but I is kinda hard having it on a holiday. So many of our friends were on vacation or busy. We are planing a little party for next week.

January: Arora was born and had moderately bad jaundice. Our picture was in the paper for being the first baby born in the county. Was choking and had to have an apnea monitor.
February: At 6 weeks I realize we have not filmed her at all, and so we get out the video camera. We just finished our 4th tape. Smiled for a picture on Valentines day.
March: Has her first cold turned ear infection.
April: We drive to Oregon to have Arora blessed and to see all our family. We start a mom's walking group that walks everyday through July.
May: Arora rolls over both ways.
June: Learns to sit up and starts to eat rice and bananas.
July: We moved! Visited family in Utah. Arora learned she has to sleep on her tummy to sleep well.
August: Started crawling on the 13th, one day after my birthday.
September: Arora starts having Stranger anxiety, especially with loud men.
October: Get her first two teeth. Starts cruising, walking by pushing a box. Loves a spider Halloween decoration that moves.
November: Arora went on her first plane ride and did great. Met a lot of cousins and loved playing with her grandparents kitties.
December: Starts to pick out her own clothes. Has favorite toys, foods and people.

whew!

2009-01-01T22:53:00.002-07:00

So someone must be watching out for our little family. Just a few hours after we received the email from the old nanny saying she wasn't going to be watching kids anymore, we found another sitter. I think it will even work better because she will watch Arora here in our home, I think Arora will be more comfortable here. I am getting excited and a bit nervous for school to start. I am really excited for my classes and I love learning. I have to go to this new student orientation on Monday and Tuesday, then classes start on Wednesday.

We need a sitter!

2008-12-30T16:17:00.001-07:00

Our sitter for winter semester just emailed me saying she will not be sitting anymore! Now what. anyone know any one who does sitting? Or a daycare in town? Help!