Silhouette Giveaways

Here are all the silhouette giveaways I have to blog about to get extra entries :) LOL
They end today so if you enter, get right on it! A lot of these sites, I visit on a regular basis. They have a lot to offer!  I have enjoyed seeing what each of them have done with their Silhouette machine as well.

Colie's Kitchen
Grosgrain Fabulous
Infarrently Creative
Thrifty Decor Chick
Love Stitched 
Moms Review 4 You
House of Hepworths
Be Different Act Normal
TomKat Studio   This site I visited when planning Sydney's party.
Crazy Coupon Mommy

Happy entering... it took me AN HOUR! But would be well worth it if I win one of the Silhouettes being given away.

Poor Sydney

She will get blog attention soon! But, since I am too lazy/busy to dedicate blog time to her right now, look at some birthday party pics on Erica's blog (sister).

Fun in the...Snow

First big snow of the season, last night-- 12" in the backyard. Like my snowman? 

This one was from this summer, but I LOVE IT. It is my missed tribute to Jake's birthday that was yesterday (or the day before? We were told it was the 19th but then his AKC papers say the 20th so I am not really sure which one it is). Poor dog, I used to get him doggy ice cream, but since we have had kids, he is so neglected! We love him anyway. Happy #8, poochie!

This is the cutest doggie, ever :)

Okay, Card Talk Again!

 I received my Christmas cards in the mail and *love* them. They are a really good quality, the picture on the front looks good, as well as the ones inside. Did I mention these cards can have up to six pictures inside?! So we have a few pictures from through out the year in there. There was a pretty fast turn around, as well. I always like that!
Now, I am thinking about making some desk calendars as gifts (http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/desk-calendars) and I look forward to ordering a photo book. I have a few friends who have ordered these and they are good quality.
I receive emails from Shutterfly every once in a while for free stuff, as well. I have missed a few sets of prints cause I took too long and missed the deadline. :(  {and I am still trying to decide if I am going to print pictures for traditional scrapbooking, or keep from here on out digitally scrapbooked and printed}.

I like these card designs as well, and here is the link to see what else they have to offer http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery--

 This one is *really* cute inside.

Those are all 5x7 folded cards. If you are looking for something more along the lines of the flat photo cards, here are a couple I like--

Another thing I like about the creation process on their site-- I need to get opinions, so I like that I can create it, share it to my blog, then have my sibs check out what I have done and give me feedback, so I order the right thing. 

I guess this is starting to sound like a paid advertisement (I wish!) so I promise, my next post will be about something else! :)

Christmas Card 2010 and an Extra

I received an email from Shutterfly about Christmas cards, and I decided to take a look. I instantly fell in love with their designs. There are so many options-- They have over 700 designs to choose from, 5x7 folded or flat, printed on cardstock and 4x8 or 5x7 cards, printed on photo paper.

They have *excellent* customer service and a guarantee as well (I had some issues that were cleared up immediately and they went above and beyond what I needed). This is a great company to work with :) 

This is the card we chose-- of all the colors out there, I really do love red and green!

  I almost picked this one- it is so fun and whimsical, but the other one won me over (and it worked better with the pictures I have and like). I am such a paper/picture/card junkie, I just love these!

Big SIX

In these pics, Ethan is somewhere between 1 and 3 mos old. 

Six years ago, pretty much right now, I started getting contractions every six minutes. I was getting ready for the day, about 9am, when I noticed them. They were just annoying. Jody and I had some errands to attend to, so we both packed up and left.  We drove separate cars, because we planned to make our way to brick places and then go to work. I had steady contractions, all day. Every six minutes apart. I may have had a few a little less or a little more, but for the most part, they were pretty constant. Some hurt more than others, but with him, they never got nearly as painful as the ones with Sydney (hers were ***AWFUL***). Anyway, so I remember being at one brick place, and I remember the guy who was helping us looking at me kind of weird. I guess I know why now, I must have just had that look, you know, I look like I am going to have my baby very soon look. I was not very big, but I was definitely big enough ;) I started writing the times down at 1:00 (I have that paper around here somewhere!)

So we parted ways, I went to work. I want to say it was 2:00-2:30 ish (but that # might come back to me for other reasons- read on!). I was sitting in my car, out in front of the office, and I had a couple contractions that hurt worse than the others, but they were 2:30-3 minutes apart. I went in, sat in my seat. The place I worked had little rooms, and the room I liked to work in was full of little old ladies/older than me ladies (my grandma's friends, she worked there as well)- Norma, Donna, Bonnie, Carol, and a few others. I don't really remember who all was there for sure, but probably them all. I do know, I told them what was going on, and Carol told me (same thing a DR would tell me) that I should sit tight and get working cause until they regularly come at 2 minutes apart and get stronger. Mine were coming hard, not hard, 6 min, 3 min, 4 min, etc. But never longer than 6 minutes apart. 

The thing is, I knew I had a decision to make. I did not want call and make Jody leave work, he has just arrived for his desk shift. I had just arrived. I did not want to go to the hospital to be sent home. I knew that was a strong possibility (if I had been normal anyway, which, ps, I was not) and I did not want to ruin the night of getting work in, cause a fuss over nothing. I called L&D and asked what I should do and they gave their normal answer- we can't give you medical advice blah blah blah. 

SO here is why I was having such a dilemma. It was almost 3. I worked in Sugarhouse. My hospital and Dr are in American Fork. I knew that if I stayed one minute longer, I was probably going to be stuck in traffic. I also knew that Ethan was breech and I was going to have a c-section and the thought passed through my mind about having a baby in the car... you know, pregnant imaginations, and on the first you don't get how long it all actually really takes (for a vaginal delivery, anyway).

So, I called my mom, gave her the this is stupid but a heads up just in case and I left. I drove home, but I did take advantage of speeding in the carpool lane :) I dare you to pull me over! HA! Jody met me at our apartment, I packed up a few things, and we headed south. 

When I had called my mom, she was determined I not have a c-sec cause she had such a horrible experience, but I knew my situation was different- I was 10 years younger, it was my first (not #6!), I knew I was having one, it was emergency I guess cause I was in labor, but hers was a true emergency, with only local anesthesia (I want to cry every.time. I think about that), etc. I just knew our experiences were going to be different. So we got to the hospital, my mom had called my dad home from work to meet us there so Jody and hi could give me a blessing. Dr Lawrence was already there, I got hooked up to the monitors and a little bit later, she came in, checked me, and said, "I will see you in an hour!" I was a 4. I found out later, that the had a busy night--- three unexpected c-sections. I was very grateful that mine was always a C though, cause I think the others had tried V first. I think recovery is harder that way.

At any rate, Ethan was born at 7:06 pm, everything went beautifully, and he was healthy and pleasant. 

I am so grateful for this kid in my life, he is definitely a big contributor to the survival of our family and I could not do it without his contributions. I love his guts and I am so excited to celebrate his birthday today (and Sunday and next Tuesday!  LOL)

2 yr birthday

 1

 1

 1

 2

 2

 2

 2

 2 (he had a thing with buckets/hats!)

4

 1, some of his first steps

Coming home... not great of me...

 I was still hopped up... lol

 a couple weeks away 

 The announcment

 Our first non-hospital outing

 First St Patty's parade

 Baby blessing 

 "our little burrito"

 Getting ready to leave the hospital

 Jake meets Ethan for the first time

 My all time favorite pic of E

a little over one month prior to E birth

5

5

One of our 2010 Christmas cards :)

Sorry, I had technical problems, the post about our Christmas card has been moved here--  http://jodyandheathergenessy.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-card-2010-and-extra.html

Aidan Monster

He is next. I don't have to think much on what I have to say about him, so it is easy. This kid and I have a very interesting relationship. He is, by far, the biggest pain in the butt. He has an attitude, he screams, he wants something then he wants it *NOW*. He is very impatient! And when he cries about it, he makes it sound like, for example, you have not fed him in days. He is clingy, at times, and wants you even more when you do not want him. (Wonder what that will be like when he is dating, haha!) He is a lighter sleeper than the other two. He kept me awake many more hours (as a baby) than them too.
Aidan is pretty easy when it comes to food, but what he does not like, he does not like! He is a stubborn little git with preferences. He has a distinct little (or big!) personality. Before he could talk, he screamed *a lot*. One day, he was in his high chair and screaming at me. I was doing the dishes, so I threw water on him. Any of my other kids may have been mad or cried at me, but not Aidan. He laughed. This crazy little cat has such a great sense of humor! We really have a lot of fun together. His super serious looks and obnoxiousness are accompanied by playfulness. Tonight, we sat in front of the bathroom mirror, after brushing his teeth, and made faces and kissed. He like to kiss. It is so cute and he is the first of my kids to give so many kisses, freely. We made some really funny faces; I would make one and then he would copy it! He is also so stinking smart. You know, he spits while brushing his teeth.  That may seem like a random thing, but I would guess most kids don't get the spitting concept for at least another 6 months to a year. I think that is why babies are not supposed to use regular toothpaste, cause they swallow it.
Aidan loves watching people go to the bathroom. He tugs at his diaper and asks to go potty. He doesn't always go, but it is a start, I suppose. He is a cuddler, he loves to sit on my lap and read or give me hugs. He has a little bear that he loves (sleeps with it). Aidan has a large vocabulary. Seriously, he says a couple sentences. If you ask him something, he will literally say "I don't know" and you will actually understand it! That is not the case with his other words though. He has his own little accent, it is freaking hilarious. I love to hear him say "hair" or "ear". Ear sounds more like ewe. HAHAHA. And his teeth. Oh my flip I love his crazy little monster teeth!
He is in a very busy stage and that makes me want to beat him, but he is not nearly as busy and mischievous as Ethan (I appreciate that *very* much). I call him trouble, and  he repeats it. Hahaha.
Something funny about Aidan is that he LOVED me. Turned Jody away, dissed others, always came to me. Then I went to Seattle in May. Ever since then, Daddy is the bomb. And not only his dad, but any other male will do. He loves my dad, my brother in laws, my sister Brooke's boyfriend, Ed, and a plethora of other guys he meets. It is kind of funny. He calls everyone "daddy". We have a statue on our mantle of Jesus and Aid pointed to it and said, "daddy?" I corrected him and told him it is Jesus. So now he points to it and says his version of Jesus.
He will say people's names, but he will not say Ethan or Sydney. FUNNY! They do a fair amount of torturing him, but I would say he loves them like crazy. They are all good pals, so I am not sure why he won't say their names.
Obviously I have a lot to say about him. I want to ring his neck a lot, hence my nickname for him (monster) but I love him like crazy.

Mill Hollow, this past summer (08.08.2010)

Aidan Connor Genessy, 1 year

We have a little guitar of some sort from my Grandma and Grandpa Harrison that Aidan **loves** to play with (this is not it, just a prop). He (me, chuckling) plays it and sings "dab dab dab dewwwwwwwwwwww" It is so cute and hilarious. And just to clarify, he is not singing yabba dabba do. He has never heard that before. I am not sure where he came up with this phrase, but he has been saying it since he started talking. It was more of a gab from before he said actual words people could understand.PS if he sees anyone else playing with that guitar, he about pops a vein. It is not his, but he sure thinks it is!

 The photographer thought I was nuts for choosing this one- but it really is his personality I want to remember (and point out to him when he is older, lol), and these pics do capture that. This one, he is screaming. 

OH! And you can not tell in these photos, but he has curly, blondish hair. I predict it will darken, but I *love* his curls!

Ethan Loveable

I want to say a few words about the kidlets. Since it is Ethan's birthday next week, I will start with him! Ethan is my biggest helper, he aims to please. He is a smart, sweet kid who is always on the go. He loves to play with his friends and is very social. Ethan is a creator. He takes the most random little parts to things and creates something. We are talking Starburst, nuts, bolts, paper clips, magnets, broken toy pieces, etc. You get the picture! He created a robot out of random boxes... and he refuses to let me throw it away!
He picked a book from the school library the other day that is a crazy book for his age. It is The Halloween Tree, by Rad Bradbury. I am actually having a hard time appreciating it because of all the stupid details he keeps going on and on about, but that may be because I a) really like simple reads or b) I am reading to an almost 6 year old who has no idea what the freak I am reading about! BUT we have been reading it together the last couple weeks and tonight, it was just he and I, cuddled up on the chair. It was nice and I was thinking wow, someday, this little thing could be my source of comfort.
That reminds me of something we talked about the other day- he said something with reference to taking care of me and I said, no honey, it is my job to take care of you now, it will be your job to take care of me much later. A little grooming (haha), but it was really sweet that he wanted to do it now. I love this kid!

Cleanin' Up, Movin' On

Well, this last week has been insane. I should say last month! The "harvest" has worn out its welcome here! Okay I am joking, I am very very VERY grateful for the stuff we have been able to preserve, I am just so done doing it right now. I have bottled somewhere near these #'s (I am in NO mood for exact numbers right now! And these are all pints)- 2 dozen chicken, 1 dozen marinara, 1-2 dozen red salsa, 3-4 dozen green salsa (Unripened tomatoes. It is a HIT.), A giant (when I say giant, I really mean it- like a 23 qt pressure cooker full) pot of chili (frozen), a large pot (normal large pot, same as delivered the dozen pints) of marinara, frozen. I have frozen TONS of peaches, dried TONS of apples. *SIGH* I am WORN OUT! My house is a constant WRECK.

So this past week was our Ward Halloween Party, which I was in charge of. That was pretty good. Halloween Half. Trick or treating. Family Halloween Party. Hero dinner. We have basically had something every night and I am going to go crazy SOON! LOL. 

This week's craziness is this- must make stuff for upcoming boutiques! I have stuff already made, but its from last year and I have not made a THING for this year! EEK. Ethan's birthday is coming up, next Wednesday, and we are having a birthday party, so I need to plan that. Then a few weeks is Sydney's birthday, and she is having her very first friend party. On top of all the craziness that is November, I am basically a single parent. Even when Jody is in town, he spends his time... ALL HIS TIME... with the Jazz. Practice, writing allllll daaaaay loooooong, then games, etc. Then when he is done with the game, he can't help but go to work and chat it up with buddies and get home at 3 am! (just teasing Jody). Then there are the days he is just gone altogether. {And for any crazies who could be reading this and consider breaking in or something, I sleep with a knife, my keys, and a couple phones. I am a nazi about checking my windows and doors to make sure they are locked, I am not afraid to kick you in the balls as hard as I can, and with any body part available :) } Anyways, this is a solo production here, with the help of others who more than likely do not reside in my household. I *can* do this! Haha!

Okay so me typing all that I need to do, is reminding me I still have all of it to do and I am having a small freak out so I best get on my business! Happy November, welcome to the craziest month of my life, every year!

Halloween Half!

I did it! I ran (and walked!) my first half marathon this past Saturday. It is even more fun to have done a race that is so festive. I love Halloween and October, so it was fun to take on this endeavor at this time of year.
My weekend was crazy, I thought I would go to bed early, but I didn't. I was up till about 12 making salsa Thursday night (the night I was supposed to go to bed early; but I did wake at 7, so that was 7 hours, right???), I was working on my feet all day Friday (the day I was supposed to take it easy) and then I really wanted to get to bed at like 9 or 9:30 Friday night, but it was 10:20. Sort of. Let me say, that was early compared to the rest of the week (12, 1, 2... etc), and it might have been okay if I had actually slept okay. Everyone was loud, my husband who does not really get the meaning of sharing a bedroom and being quiet was so freaking loud. And Jake. I love him, he doesn't usually bother me, but he was making more noises than I was willing to hear. I got CRAPPY sleep. I woke at 3, thinking I know I am supposed to wake at three-something and I sat there for a few minutes trying to remember then I did- 3:55. Go.back.to.sleep.PLEASE. 3:55 rolled around and I was finally really sleeping (of course). But I made myself get out of bed. Why so early? Well I pee A LOT in the morning, so prior to a race, I like to get up, have a drink and something to eat and enough time to get it all out of me before the race starts.
We took some pics, I said goodbye to Jody (he flew out before I was home from the race), then off we were, just a little after 5. We stopped at Maverick, for a pee stop (so we did not have to wait in bad lines too many times!) then parked the car and hopped on the bus. That was THE WORST BUS RIDE IN MY LIFE. Remember how I said I eat and drink early? Well, one thing I drink is lots of caffeine (Crystal Light Energy, 120 mg, to be exact). That, my nerves, and a canyon bus ride combined to make me want to seriously vomit the.whole.ride.up. I am getting sick just thinking about it.
We arrived @ Aspen Grove, peed again (haha LOTS of peeing, tmi for some, but as a runner or a mom, you really can not escape these big realities), then headed to the tent- it was CHILLY out. We sat. And sat. And sat. My biggest complaint (I have two, actually) of the race was the waiting time. I was about to either vomit or pass out the entire time we were waiting to start. TWO HOURS.
My uncle Chris and his wife Debbie ran the race as well, and it was so nice to be able to see them up there and talk to them. Chris is such a calming person, helped me out a lot. I have really great uncles (aunts too, but this is about them), I just love my dad's brothers so much! Anyway I was so glad to be able to talk to him. He is so focused and calm! Wonder what is really going on in there! I think he should teach yoga, he can keep such a straight face! So zen. LOL.
We finally started at 9:10 or something, a really steep slope. I tried to keep my pace slower as to not use up all my energy while going down hill, and that gave me no one to run with :(  So, I flew solo for a little while, then a while later I was running and saw some girls walking, so I asked if I could join in. One was Jessie and I am braindead and can not remember the other name. They were great to hang with. They even waited for me at the bathroom! So I stuck with them for a while, but then I just could not run. I needed a walk break that lasted for a mile and not a minute, so I said sianara and walked. It was good timing though, cause we were together for the hardest part, I felt. I think we were together from the 3rd to the 8 or 9th mile. There was a lot of people walking, as I had suspected, and it was nice to not be alone. I thought I would maybe be the last one with the police right behind me (not an exciting thought). Anywho, I have a lot of thanks to dole out- Jenni for loading my music and letting me use her iPod, Desiree for offering hers (and cleaning it off and bringing it over!), Herriman High Cross Country for handing out water during race! Chris and Debbie, support of friends pre-race, Erica and Weston and Dakota for helping with the kids, Nikole, Susan and Natalie for running with me, Jody for picking me up after runs (I am a run away, not back, kind of gal!), Jenni & Erica for coming to the race (& taking pics!), friend Dani Hoagland for her hug after. I know there are more, so thanks everyone! 

Susan Bogenshutz, Natalie Jones, Nikole Moon, and me-- a fun group of girls to hang with!

This was not even 1/8th of the peeps there

Being funny at Maverick. Get it- Big Moon (Nikole Moon!)

Notice the pit sweat... I was sweating my guts out even before the race began!

The more I see myself in this tutu, the more I am not liking it. It is up a little high, it looks, but it was down on my hips.

Tell all those stupid people to get the freak out of the way! HELLO this is a race!

 Digi scrapped by Jenni