It’s amazing. I want to do this to my piano, but it would have to be a different color that matches my house. The finish on my piano is in bad shape. The previous owner allowed their dogs to chew on the legs and the paint is missing in many places. There are a lot of blemishes. I think it would look fabulous with a fun, vibrant coat of paint.

This is a crazy idea, right? If I’m going to repaint something in my house, shouldn’t I start with a desk or table? You know, something simple? For some reason, I am drawn to this idea. I love the little appliques she added, too. I may not have room for that since I have a spinet. Anyway. Anyone want to help me with this project? Natalie? :)

Growing up, I was very social and had lots of friends. Most of them were just “hang out occasionally” type friends, but I had several close friends as well. I’m still close to some of them today, although I rarely see them because they live in Arizona (you know who you are, ladies!).

Now that I’m married with three children, I’m finding that I lack these close-knit female friendships. I have several women that I would consider my friends, but most of them only on a very superficial level. I don’t often get invited to do things, and when I invite others to do things, they don’t often come. I don’t know. Maybe I’m a bad friend. I could reach out more and look for opportunities to serve others, but I feel that the women I know and associate with most often are always judging me or something. It’s weird. Does anyone else feel this way? Does anyone even read this blog anymore? It would be nice to get a comment if you do. I’m sorry I’m not a better friend…but maybe this is normal for this stage of my life since so many of us are focusing mainly on our families and that’s about all we can handle. Thoughts? Those of you who have close friends, how do you create and nurture these relationships while at the same time being a good wife, mother, employee, church member, etc.?

That weekend, I also got taken to lunch by Nathan’s mom and sister. We all went and got massages afterward. It was great!

One morning, Nathan woke up and opened the blinds to find this:

I seriously love the view of Timp from our bedroom window!

We had a nice, intimate Thanksgiving this year. I hosted dinner at our house and invited my sister and her family. Nathan’s parents and brother also came for dessert. I had prepared a turkey before using an oven bag, but wanted to try something a little fancier this year. I decided to brine the turkey overnight. I didn’t add anything to the brine other than kosher salt. I cut up veggies and both stuffed them inside and spread them around the bottom of the roasting pan. Our 19 lb turkey barely fit in my pan! The recipe suggested I cook it upside down for the first 2/3 of cooking, but I decided not to do that. I think if I had it would have been juicier. Oh well, next time! It did turn out delicious, and I got lots of compliments. :)

Ready for the oven!

Almost done!

Presentation is everything! (It looks burned in this picture, but it really wasn't.)

Trying to fit everything onto my tiny table...yeah, it didn't all fit.

Kaisa loved the drumstick!

Everett being goofy.

So thankful for family, food, and all of my wonderful blessings!

October was a great month! Not only did we enjoy cooler weather and a fun Halloween, but I also got to attend my sister Melodie’s birth and welcome a brand new niece! Kaisa loves having a cousin living so close…especially one as cute as Paisley! Here are a few photos from the month.

Ward trunk-or-treat. Kaisa was a princess and Everett was Spiderman. I did Kaisa's hair myself!

I found his suit at Savers but it didn't have a mask. I looked around the store and found the red had he has on. I took it home, used a permanent marker to draw a web on it, and cut out the eyes out of felt and sewed them on. He hated wearing them down so they spent most of the time on top of his head, like this.

This was one of my dresses when I was little. I wore it when I was a flower girl at my Aunt Judi's wedding. It's so fun to see her wear it!

I was a witch (hence the green face) but the hat I borrowed was too small and kept blowing off, so I ditched it. Harrison was a cute little tiger.

They got SO MUCH CANDY!

Trick-or-treating at Boostability

LOVE this pic! My baby and my babe!

SO CUTE!

This guy's costume was amazing! Ok, it's just a pumpkin head, but he's so tall and the pumpkin made him a giant!

Spiderman taking a break to eat a donut.

Getting ready to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood. Grandma Wendy got to come with us since Melodie was still in the hospital.

This is actually really funny. This is Everett's reaction to eating a Warhead. He ran around the kitchen and then promptly spit it out!

5 cm dilated. Looking gorgeous and staying relaxed!

Welcome to the world, Paisley!

Kaisa loves her baby cousin!

Anyone who refers a couple that signs up for my February 4th or March 7th class will receive a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant or store of your choice! Make sure that when they sign up online, they give me your name in the comments section. Or, they can call and sign up by phone and tell me that you sent them. 

Also, I will be doing a fun giveaway on my website! I will be drawing for another $25 gift certificate to a restaurant or store of your choice. There are several ways to enter, and you can receive one entry for each item. Just leave a separate comment for each one on this post.

ENTRY 1: “Like” my facebook page. It’s under “IHypnoBirth.”

ENTRY 2: Post about my HypnoBirthing classes on your blog or website. Put a link to my website (www.iHypnoBirth.com) somewhere in your post. Make sure to leave a link to your post in the comment on my blog.

ENTRY 3: Leave a status update on your facebook page about iHypnoBirth. If you’ve taken my class, let people know how you liked it. If not, just let them know that I’m a great HypnoBirthing instructor and that if they “like” my page, they can enter too!

ENTRY 4: Attend my Mother’s Circle meeting this coming Friday at 10 a.m. and leave a comment afterward. Also, if you bring a friend, you will receive an additional entry.

ENTRY 5: Pass out one of my business cards to a pregnant friend. You can grab some cards at my Mother’s Circle meeting, or just email me at fiona@ihypnobirth and we’ll arrange to meet.

The winner of the giveaway will be announced on February 1st. Thanks so much, and good luck!

Things have been well here at the Judd household. Harrison was born in April, and you’ll notice from my earlier posts that he was quite colicky. After I had Harrison adjusted, his colic was significantly reduced, and now that he’s crawling (yes, you read that right! crawling!) he’s one happy little baby. Kaisa absolutely adores him and wants to hold him and play with him constantly. Everett is warming up to him as well. It’s really fun to see all three of them playing together. Those are rare moments, but I sure do love them when they happen. Anyway, Harrison is now almost eight months old and weighs almost 18 pounds. He has four teeth (ouch)! He is very ticklish and loves to laugh at silly things. He is at that stage where everything goes in the mouth, so I’ve been re-baby-proofing the house. We sure love this little guy!

Everett is almost three and has started to act like it! He really holds his own in a family full of strong personalities. He learned to use the potty over the summer (hooray!) and is loving sharing a room with his big sister. He likes swords, superheroes, sports, and playing dress-up or tea party with Kaisa. He is so independent and loves to do everything himself. He’s very silly and so much fun to have around!

Kaisa is 4 and has been going to preschool again this year. She’s learning so much! She can write her own name by herself and recognizes the letters and numbers. She’ll be reading before we know it! She’s a very good big sister and is usually very helpful. Kaisa is a social butterfly and loves to make new friends. She loves ponies, princesses, coloring, painting, drawing, and playing with her brothers. She can’t wait to start kindergarten next fall!

I am busy, busy, busy–as usual. I auditioned for the Utah Chamber Artists last fall and was given a place in the Soprano section. I absolutely love singing with this group and feel it is what I have been looking for (at least until I get into the MoTab). I have to commute up to Salt Lake two evenings a week for about 6 weeks before each concert, but Nathan has been so wonderful to allow me to do that. I am still teaching HypnoBirthing classes as well. It’s been slow, and I’m hoping to see my classes grow next year. I was also able to assist at two births this year as a labor companion for my sister-in-law, Rachel, and my sister, Melodie. I loved both experiences and it has made me realize that I want to become a doula (professional labor companion). I’m hoping to get trained and certified next year and be able to start taking clients soon after. I have also started a monthly mother’s group where we discuss topics related to pregnancy, birth, and parenting. As a result, I’ve recently started cloth diapering! I’m still trying to get the hang of it, but like it so far. I am also working from home as a blog and article writer for Boostability (Nathan’s company) and somehow find time to cook, clean, shop, serve as primary pianist in my ward, and be a mom to three busy children.

Nathan is still working as the Director of Fulfillment at Boostability. He is the youngest member of the executive team! He loves his job and is really appreciated by his co-workers. It’s been a great fit for him. Nathan is serving as the ward clerk and recently took a class on basement finishing. We’re hoping to get started on finishing our basement soon. He’s also busy running a few websites (mine included) and is hoping to start generating more revenue from his various sites over the next year. Nathan is such a great father and the kids are always so excited when he comes home! He’s been so great at helping pick up the slack around the house–things have gotten pretty crazy since Harrison arrived! We’re so lucky to have such a great husband and father!

Well, that pretty much sums up our year. I’ll be posting some more pictures from the last few months as well, but here are our most recent family pictures for those who haven’t seen them yet.

Merry Christmas to all of you and best wishes for the new year!!

There were a few wrinkles across the top. I decided to roll the fondant between two sheets of wax paper and rolled it backwards on a rolling pin to transfer it to the cake. This worked really well, except that it put wrinkles in the fondant. I’ll have to play around with that more and figure out how to make it completely smooth. I think it turned out pretty good, though, for my first try. Nathan was impressed. :)

Love these kids. More than I could ever express.