Friday, November 16, 2007

Nate's Seven Quirks

1. Kindergarten was a rough year for Nate learning the alphabet and all so...actually he accidentally pushed his hand through a sliding glass door and cut a nerve. He has lost the ability to close his fingers, hence why he's unable to signal the Boyscout or Star Trek signs.


2. Nate is the only human I know allergic to Tylenol. He breaks out in massive hives everywhere that eventually turn into ugly blisters. Unfortunately it took a few trial and errors to figure this out.


3. His left elbow has extra skin for some reason. If anyone is in need of a skin graft Nate is your man.


4. Nate once killed a pig with rag doused in Cloroform whilst attempting to castrate it.


5. Nate was robbed at gunpoint as a missionary down in Rio.


6. He wrestled at 119 lbs as a senior in high school (he was 6' tall at the time). Along those same lines he competed against a girl once. Luckily for him, he won or he would have had to transfer high schools.


7. Nate's sister wouldn't give up the crib so he spent his first years sleeping in a cardboard box with blankets.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Merry Christmas Giggles

I couldn't help myself because the Longs' holiday cheer was so irresitable. Here is a link for a funny Holiday greeting! Lots of Love, Stace

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9515513985

Doesn't it make you laugh! Sorry you have to copy and paste into your url.

7 things you don't know about me hmmm...

1. Hopefully most of you know this, but if not, I am an ameteur/professional artist. What you might not know, I have sold commissions but I prefer to do my own thing (if the price is right I lower my standards and can be hired). Currently I am working on a piece of my own for the LDS international art competition next fall.


-This is a portrait of my friend's mom who passed away last January. Being able to work freely on this piece has been one of the most rewarding art projects ever.

2. Even as an adult I am slightly scared of the dark. I would rather sleep with the windows open to let in moonlight than worry about being closed in. This is also due partly to my claustraphobic tendencies. Just ask Nate about my freakout when we moved into our first apartment and I somehow got wedged between the wall and side of our bed. Also along these lines I hate to back out of garages and car washes.



3. I really like Gerber Mixed baby cereal. I never stopped eating it when I was growing up and refused oatmeal so my mom thought "hmmm, if it's not broken don't fix it."



4. I am a huge fan of swing sets. Nate proposed to me on a swing in Mount Ogden Park. Our second date was swinging there while enjoying zuka juices (he didn't propose then, although I was pretty sure I wanted to get married at that point. I mean we were friends for 10 months before he asked me out).



5. It turns out I REALLY like to swim in the ocean and despite my uncoordinated and all out athleticly-challenged childhood have managed to compete in 3 5K's, one triathlon, and one half-marathon since getting married (the last two since Katelyn's birth).



6. I like to build things. Since moving to Maryland and meeting Holly Richins I have had a great time refinishing furniture. I started with a small project, my dining room table and chairs, then advanced to coffee table, crib, two dressers, and building a kitchen cabinet from scratch (Nate handled the tile cutter and a few other major parts but I did most of the work by myself). Also I have learned to sew here. I have made Katelyn's bassinet bedding, curtains, and numerous baby quilts.




7. Nate thinks I have an internal GPS system. I like maps and learning things about roads. My mom laughs because when I was 4 and moved from Roy to Huntsville, Utah (about 40 minutes) I memorized every cross road between the two houses "just in case I got separated from the family and needed to tell someone how to get me to my home." An interesting tidbit about federal roads, if you are ever wondering why freeways are designated the numbers they have...ask. The boundary line starts at point zero along the California and Mexico borders. So why do all the freeways along the east coast end in 95? Because they are along the 95 percentage of land from the California border. Why is I80 and I70 named that? Because they are 80 and 70% from the Mexican border. Usually state roads have similar stories from their respective border lines. Also if you ever notice exits off your freeway the number usually refers to the miles between exits from some border. Not all roads are made this way so don't take it for granted (take the New Jersey Turnpike for instance).



8. I made this number 8 because it seems to be common amoung my friends...I really like organizational lists, maps, and supplies. I draw an aerial view of a room prior to cleaning just so I can divide the room and have part of it checked off if I don't finish the entire project. I like to coordinate my clothes by the rainbow and least coverage to most (ie tanks to sweaters, skirts to dresses, shorts to pants).

Thanks for delving into my quirks. If you made it through the list and haven't been tagged before consider yourself tagged.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Third Trimester Shout-Out


It feels great to know that we are on the final venue of pregnancy. Valentines here we come!

Katelyn's First Haircut

I cut Katelyn's hair!!!! We had a family cut night for FHE. Nate had a trim and Katelyn decided she wanted one too. I figured she was old enough at 19 months so...she lost the "mullet look". Just a small disclaimer for anyone truly talented-don't judge my cutting skills because I haven't had any sort of training.


Back view

Side View


Styled View

Halloween




Katelyn was a super lucky girl and had two costumes this year. She was both Minnie Mouse and Cinderella but not at the same time. Baby Starley went as a pumpkin while Mom and Dad wimped out. We had a fun time trekking around the Owings Mills Mall this year. It was so nice because Katelyn wasn't cold and we didn't have to worry about her getting too much candy.