4 x 4 x 3 Months

Turning a Page

Last week I mentioned that we had a big decision to make.  Well, we made it.

 Image via here.

In just a few weeks, MacGyver will finish up his last class and will be an official engineer.  It's been a long, hard road, and we're both so happy to be moving on from the 'student' life.

For the past 6 months, he's been aggressively looking for a job around here.  He's had some interviews, but nothing has really panned out.  So on a whim, he decided to interview for a job a few hours away, and it went really well.

So in just a few weeks, we'll be packing our bags and moving about 2.5 hours away.  We're really excited, but also really nervous.  The company that MacGyver will be working for is well-established and really successful.  He feels like it will be a great fit, and there are some awesome benefits.

We've got quite the to-do list going on this week.  Lots of cleaning, fixing, and organizing to get our house up on the market.  We're hoping it sells quickly.

We're bummed to be moving further away from friends and family, but we're very thankful that we will only be a couple hours away.  Plenty close enough for day trips home and we'll be able to come home for birthday parties and stuff.

So off we go on our own adventure!

Little Dude is...

I just can't say enough about this sweet baby boy.  He is just such a happy and easy baby.  It's lovely.

Weight:  15 pounds, 7 ounces

Yes, a porker.  In other news...

• He has taken to trying to nurse and suck his thumb at the same time.  Pick one, buddy.
• He's quickly growing out of 3-6 month clothing.  Too bad.  I refuse to buy more summer clothes at this point.
• Now, when he sees the Sunbean doing something silly, he starts laughing.  I love it.
• He is talking and squealing pretty much all day.  Such a rewarding sound!
• We went out to eat with friends last night, and he was content to just sit in his carseat and watch us.  Thanks, kiddo.
• He's not doing so swell at night.  We went from 7-hour stretches to 3-hour stretches.  Backward movement.  Me no likey.
• I left him for the first time last week to get my hair done, and he guzzled down 9 ounces.  I've never fed a baby a bottle, so I have no idea if that's a lot or not.  All I know is that I left what I thought was a ton of food.
• He's such a cuddle bug, and I love snuggling down with him in the evenings.

We love this little guy!

If I Could Guarantee...

...that all my babies would be this sweet, I'd have 15 of them.

Household Happenings

• We went back to the lake again this week.  I guess that's what summer is all about.
• This week we need to make a major life decision about MacGyver's {future} job.  Seriously so stressful.  I'm thankful we can pray about it and receive some guidance, but it's still weighing heavily on both our minds.  We need to decide by Friday, so this weekend we'll be celebrating either way.  I just want this week to be over.
• Little Dude is so big.  Like, 6-12 month clothes.  He's not yet 3 months.
• I got my hair done last week.  It was so great.  It was also the first time I'd been more than one room away from baby boy.  We both survived.
• Sunday was Ward Conference.  It was so great.  I loved the meeting beforehand, and got some good inspiration for Primary.
• The Sunbean loves Wonder Pets.  Therefore, I love Wonder Pets.  In fact, this blog post was brought to you by the Wonder Pets.
• All I can think about is bullet point #2.
• Today we're delivering Primary treats, doing laundry, and cleaning the floors.  You're jealous of my life.

Happy Hump Day!

Old Navy: Epic Fail

I've always been an Old Navy fan, and now that I have children, I really like their kids' clothes.  Cute and reasonably priced, plus the clearance racks are pretty good.

Well.  That's all a thing of the past.

A few weeks ago, my mom bought two pair of swim trunks at Old Navy, one pair for my dad and one for MacGyver.  She had accidentally gotten the wrong type or size or something, and made an exchange on that original purchase.  When she went back again, she grabbed a size large of the correct type for my dad.  She discovered when she got back to my house that the swim trunks were sized incorrectly, and were actually an extra small.  My dad isn't a big guy, but an extra small sure ain't gonna cut it.

So she left both pair and the pile of receipts at our house, since she doesn't actually live in town.  The plan was for MacGyver and I to exchange them for the correct size.  One weekend, before heading to the lake, we stopped in.  I had the receipts stapled together, beginning with the original purchase.

When we walked in, MacGyver told the Old Navy people that we had an exchange, and started to set the swim trunks on the counter.  One of the clerks said, "We aren't gonna watch your stuff for you.  You'll need to carry those around."

Mmmmmkay then.

We headed over to the swim trunk section, and found the right sizes and styles.  The price was still the same, so we figured it would be a quick and easy exchange.  After all, we just wanted to do an even swap for the exact same item, just a different size.

Ha.

We got up to the register, and they started telling us that the swim trunks weren't scanning in on the receipt we had.  Um, well, I'm no Old Navy associate, but I could read the receipt.  And it was quite clear to me that both pair of trunks were right there on the receipt.  But whatever.  Clearly the two teenagers working know more than I do.

They tried scanning it over and over for about 5 minutes, and then started asking for my mom's credit card.  Um, no.  The receipt clearly stated that she paid with cash.  I called her anyway, just to make sure I wasn't losing my mind.  She went ahead and gave me two card numbers for them to look up, though she remembered paying in cash.

So after about 15 minutes of nonsense, I reminded the associates that all we really wanted to do was an even exchange.  Surely we didn't need a receipt for that.  The trunks still had the store hangers and tags.

But, apparently, you can't do that at Old Navy.  No receipt, no can do.  Ridiculous.  Another phone call to my mom, some general crabbiness on my part, and two very un-helpful managers later, the best they could do was an in-store credit that had to be mailed to us.  Seriously?!?

I left the store soooo pissed off.  I mean, for real.  I had two items clearly purchased at Old Navy, with a receipt.  It was not my fault that they weren't smart enough to read the receipt.  And all I wanted to do was exchange for the correct size.  No money involved.  And let me remind you, Old Navy, the whole reason we got the wrong size is because you tagged the item incorrectly.

So, they had promised the in-store credit would arrive in 10 days.  15 days later, it finally came.  My mom took it in, and apparently is a better complainer than me, because she walked out with cash.

I decided to see if it was a company policy, or just the general stupidity of the associates working.  I called two other Old Navy stores, and explained that I bought the wrong size shirt, and wanted to exchange for the correct size.  I explained that the shirt still had tags, but I didn't have a receipt and I paid in cash.

Guess what?  They said no!!

So, Old Navy, you've officially lost a customer, and for two reasons.  One, your employees were rude to me and my family.  Two, your company policy is utterly ridiculous.  I completely understand not accepting an exchange if an item doesn't have tags, but with tags and for an even exchange?  That needs to happen.

Epic fail, Old Navy.

Cute Widdle Shoes

The other day, I had an appointment, and my dad offered to take the Sunbean for the morning, which turned into the entire day.  Is it not so strange when one of your children is gone for the day?  Anyway, there were lots of things I could have done with my day.

You know, like clean the floors, nap, watch TV, scrub the toilet, laundry....the list of fun goes on and on.  What did I choose to do?

Make baby shoes.

I used this tutorial, and they were really pretty easy.  My machine had no problem with the pleather {my iron?  that's a different story.}, and they came together relatively quickly.  They aren't perfect by any means, but they're pretty cute.

I got my fabric at Joann's, and found it in the clearance section.  The only thing I don't like is how the back is gray, and not the same color.  In the places where it peeks through, it bothers me.  But I didn't really feel like shelling out 35 bones a yard for the good stuff.  It cost me 75 cents to make these, so I can live with it.

But they do look adorable.

Or maybe it's just the model.

Homemade Pizza Rolls

And by 'homemade', I mean with the can of pizza dough.

I saw these on Pinterest {you're doing Pinterest, right?}, and thought they'd be a crowd pleaser.

I was right.

I followed the recipe exactly, minus the pepperoni.  Next time I'll add more seasoning and some chopped tomatoes.

Pretty delicious for a meal that takes just a few minutes to throw together.

Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe that three summers ago, I held my first baby for the first time.

Birth.

 

1st Birthday.

2nd Birthday.

3rd Birthday
 

Being her mom is the best thing ever.

*************************

I took embarrassingly few photos on her actual birthday and the day of her party, but we all had a wonderful weekend.

We started the day with a tea party at Starbucks {yep, with the pink and purple Fisher Price tea set}, and then headed up to the lake.

The Sunbean spent the weekend enjoying her new toys and hanging out with friends + family.

Happy Birthday, baby girl.

Cuh-razy

That pretty much sums up life this week.  Things are nuts around here.

For starters, I'm prepping for this little lady's 3rd birthday.

Birthdays are akin to national holidays around here, so it takes mucho planning/preparation for a birthday in our home.

On a birthday-related note, I've been attempting to get a decent set of 3-year photographs of my darling daughter.  She is such a goon, that it has taken several shoots {though the monsoon that occurred during last night's shoot was hardly her fault}, but I think we got 'er done this morning.

So there's that.  And then, such a great surprise, these folks are coming into town on Friday.

So there's the cleaning, and organizing, and furniture-arranging that always comes with welcoming some houseguests.

Oh, and on Saturday we're having a party for the Sunbean.  So shopping, decorating, cleaning, sewing, baking.

And Saturday is also the farmer's market day for my biz.  That means that every spare second I'm sewing, crafting, bow-making.

And let's not forget this little guy, who has seemingly forgotten how to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time, or while laying down.  Apparently he must be held at all times.  Cute though, huh?

So now I'm off to clean/sew/bake/edit photos/do laundry/watch Netflix.

Summer Lovin'

Cross a few things off the summer bucket list....we've been camping in Michigan and took a few several way too many boat rides for ice cream.

The Sunbean always gets 'mixed up', which is preschool-speak for Superman ice cream.

We jumped in the lake with Bampa,

and had lots of time for playing at the beach.

My family has been camping here since my dad was young, and it's just an essential part of summer for me.  We had so much fun that we're headed back this week!

Easy to Love