good news week

youve heard the saying "bad news comes in threes."  i would like to invent a new saying: "sometimes life goes super awesome and its like an avalanche of rad things just keep happening."  or the short version: "good news comes in threes."

at least, i like to think thats true.  

and this week, it has been.

1. my best friend/bad influence/fellow ugly/shes-known-me-for-too-long-for-me-to-let-her-get-very-far-away-with-my-secrets has spontaneously decided to come visit me next week!  she is a teacher so during spring break she is coming to hang out.  ive almost got her convinced that she should leave washington is come to california instead.  this is the first time in forever that she has come to me, and im really excited because:
a. i havent seen her since august
b. she is our first house guest since we moved to ca
c. im long overdo for some ugly pictures.

now, before you get upset that im calling my best friend ugly, you must understand-there are some faces only a mother and a best friend could love.  and a mother is iffy.  see?

this is an ugly.  no doubt.

2. i also got to see my dad on a last minute business trip this week!  he was only here for a few hours, but i got to talk to him and show him the new car (which i am supremely and probably unreasonably proud of, but hey can you blame me for being excited about the very first car thats every been bought just for me?!  see?  its overboard) and he reminisced about the area from his past business trips up this way.  

we were both concentrating on whether my finger was flexible enough to hit the camera button.

as a daddy's girl, im always excited to spend time with my dad.  we have alot in common-the same interests, passions, opinions, and world view.  sometimes, this leads to arguments and short tempers, but its all because we love each other.  

i think.

my teenage years were rough.

3.  and the one thing you all have been waiting for, and the one thing ive cruelly made you wait for, we found out the baby's gender! 

its a girl!!

backstory: on wednesday, we went to the dr and had the ultrasound.  we took an envelope for the tech to put the picture in so we could give it to my friends, who were making us a cake with either blue or pink filling.  

it was cool, watching the baby wiggle around, especially after a while it didnt seem to be super keen on the pressure around its head.  at one point the baby had hiccups, and at another, it started kicking its legs and bouncing its butt up in the air, which had all three of us laughing.

i think the best part was watching brian though-he hadnt seen the baby yet, and it was sweet to watch him glued to the screen, and the side smile that crept onto his face when the baby had its arms around its head in the exact same position brian often falls asleep in.  

so two of my friends took on the task of making a cake and we had a bunch of friends over last night for the party.  we called it a gender reveal party; we wanted to call it a "gentitalia unveiling," but thought some people might get offended.  but now you know.

i did some decorating.

we had people guess what it would be

wives tales and what it would be based on how they applied to me

yellow foods, the banner i made, and a buttload of streamers

mmm chocolate. the he's have nuts. HAHA.

the GORGEOUS cake (gluten free!)

after everyone got there, we cut the cake, and found the icing inside was pink...a girl!  both of us were shocked, we both thought it was going to be a boy.  

the moment of cake/gender/genitalia reveal

so yay, a mini alex!  but, true to mini alex form, there is a moratorium on pink. its not completely banned; weird pinks (like peach or melon or something) are ok, and things with pink on them are ok.  but completely pink things are out.  

should this result in a completely purple wardrobe, a purple ban might ensue as well...girls can wear blue and green too!

and if you should want to watch the video of the cake cutting, i will put it up soon.  then you can see my totally shocked face.

YAY GOOD NEWS!

glitter is the herpes of the craft world.

in the last year, i have had little time to do anything creative.  fine, in the last few years.  no wonder my house always looks frumpy.  but FINALLY i have had nothing better to do than make all sorts of crafty crafts.  laundry? dishes?  sweeping up dog hair?  psshh!  bottom of the priorities list.  

chartreuse and grey wreath

i know, i know, many of you are thinking "alex is one of THOSE??  a crappy crafter??" and others are thinking "yeah i totally had you pegged.  your closet-crafter act doesnt fool me."  you caught me.  i used to be uber artistic-i took art lessons, went to artsy summer camp things, and generally loved any arty medium.  i used to sketch all the time, and i think "creative" was one of the words my parents used most to describe me as a child.  after chatter-box and (whats a nice way to say annoying?).  

at some point that changed.  

mostly, i think i ran out of time.  but i also liked (ok, i admit, loved) the image i had (do i still have it?) through college.  i was known for doing things my own way, pushing the limits a little bit, and letting my very expressive and hard to mask facial expressions do alot of the talking.  hmmm i guess i probably still have that image.  i was told once that a person, before meeting me, thought i might punch whoever pissed me off.  he was surprised when he first heard me laugh, which i guess gave away some of that bravado.  i was shocked to hear thats what people thought of me, but slightly...proud?  that i wasnt perceived as just another giggly, much-too-talkative girl.  i liked being different, and was glad others liked it too.

in law school, one of my friends out of the blue said "im glad we are friends. i know you have my back.  like, if i ever needed defending, youd rip that persons throat out."  im sure she meant figuratively.  i dont like blood much.  i think this is the part i loved most-that my passion for things-life, politics, law, friends-was plain, and i would go to bat for them no matter how hard that was.

and a hardened female lawyer with a quick tongue and lightning fists doesnt go home and scrapbook.  amiright?

but making things has always been therapudic for me.  maybe its the time spent figuring out how to do it, like a puzzle that suddenly opens up to me, or its the countless hours doing the repetitive tasks that allows my mind to wander, or the back that aches after sitting on the floor for far too long in one position, that somehow sucks the stress out of me.

ORRRRR i might just like the chaotic mess i make in the process.  which is entirely possible.

seriously though, its like Michaels barfed on my floor half the time, yarn and hot glue and paper scraps mixing with dog hair and unfolded laundry.  but man, i have cranked out some keepers.  i think. i have some self respect though-no glitter has or will ever be used in any craft i make.  ever.  i have also been cooking up a storm, but ill save that for later.

i made two wreaths, the one above, and this one:

light grey and varied blue flowers

i backed a bookcase with paper and arranged it:

i promise the paper isnt that obnoxious in real life. 

i made two banners (one for a church thing, and one for a party):

this one is for church. i dont like pink that much.

party banner.  love this one.

AND i arranged my photos on the wall:

the h and the white canvas arent done, but its all up.

and for the first time in a year, we live in a house with some personal touches.  i never want to see a hot glue gun again. ok, not for another couple weeks.

oh, and i need a table to sew at.  this sitting on the floor and pushing the foot petal with my knee thing is getting old, especially when my dog decides to stand on said knee before my fabric is all lined up.

but im done with this nonsense for a little bit, because i have a party to plan!  on friday, we are finding out the gender of our baby!  stay tuned!

im BAAAACCKKK! and its two for the price of one.

family picture from Sept 2012

as im sure you have noticed, ive taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging.  there are reasons for this.  i like to think good reasons.  like studying for the bar, working a temp job that turned into overtime for 3 straight months, then studying for the bar yet again.  blahhhhhhhh.  ok those probably ARE good reasons, but still, its not that hard to write a paragraph or two here or there...right?

welp, im back on the train!  since i was too busy to send out christmas cards, and therefore didnt do a yearly update (would i have done a yearly update anyways?  uh, this is me we are taking about.  crap no.), lemme summarize the last 12 months:

we both graduated. finally.

brian got a job.

we moved. out of utah!

i studied for the bar for 3 months straight.

i visited lisa in WA. twice.

we went to christians wedding, went on a lake vacation with brians family, and a newport coast vacation with mine.

we got a doggie. (he is alot bigger than that picture now)

we lost sleep while potty training doggie.

the giants won the world series.

i worked 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day for 3 months. yay elections.

i did not pass the bar. i cried.

i got pregnant. i cried again.

we visited utah for christimas.

i threw up. alot.

i studied for the bar.

i got a new [to me] car.

i think that covers it all.

now im hanging out, making my own schedule and contemplating getting a part time job.  and in the meantime, wasting as much time as possible.  which is LOVELY. and spending lots of time with this cute fella.

whats not so lovely is all the demands from people to see how fat im getting.  really guys?  i know my gaining weight is making you feel better and all, but seriously, do we have to rub it in?

im not posting the classic "see how fat im getting/big my baby is getting" pictures on facebook, for reasons i wont go into (trying not to be a stereotypical mormon girl who gets pregnant right out of school, too many friends who post exclusively about their pregnancy/child/children [which are adorable, dont get me wrong], trying to make sure i maintain balance of self and not go off the deep end forgetting that this obnoxious personality named alex exists independent of children [who am i kidding? im too obnoxious to forget] and being self conscious about getting uncontrollably bigger...i think thats most of the reasons....).

BUT i am posting them here.  for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures.  revel in your own body, please, and be glad all you have is a tiny tummy roll unmutilated by an unknown life form.

12 weeks

14 weeks

16 weeks.  for the first time ever, my boobs are outdone.

as you can see, regular t-shirts arent gonna cut it for much longer.  oh boy, maternity clothes! im secretly excited cuz buying new clothes is always the best, amiright?

Parting question: anyone have any good ideas about what to do with clothes that arent-fitting-now-but-hopefully-will-later and maternity ones?  did you pack up your pre-pregnancy clothes or just leave them in the closet?