Lee Family Life: July 2008

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Pike Place Market: My Mecca

Yes, it's true. The other day Brett mentioned that he may want to live in Seattle when we are done with school, so I started doing some research. First of all, I found out that the University of Washington has the number 4 program in the nation for what Brett wants to do, which is awesome. After I found that out I started looking for some more information about the city itself. I started with weather, and it turns out that the average temperature in June and July is 75 degrees. 75! That is so amazing. But the best was yet to come. I found Pike Place Market. Brace yourself.

I love food and I love to cook, so naturally Farmer's Markets and exotic and fresh ingredients are some of my favorite things. I could not believe how amazing this market is! They have all kinds of produce, meats, and anything else you could possibly imagine needing. They have a whole store dedicated to spices, and another completely for products made from blueberries.

They also have a ton of pastry shops (including French and Russian), more than 50 restaurants, and a ton of other kinds of shops of random stuff (not food). I am so excited to take a trip out there so that I can go to this market.

I am sure that Brett will be horrified when we go, because he hates shopping for long periods of time, and I have an inkling that this place could take a whole day for me. I don't think I have ever heard of a place as cool as this before as far as food goes. I can't wait to delve in and see what I find! It may be a while yet, but I'm sold on the idea of Seattle.

My friend Noelle is currently having fun in Costa Rica, but since she grew up in Seattle, maybe she'll be able to tell me a little bit more about it (as well as the city itself)!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Amazing Bernini

I was putting Kennedy to sleep last night and I started to tell her about all of the wonderful things that I want her to see, places I want her to go, and all the great art that I love. I decided to post a blog about an art master. I thought about doing Van Gogh, but he is so popular that many people already know much of his art. I might do one about him later, but today I'm going to talk about Bernini, who some people may not know as much about.

Bernini is fantastically talented. Out of the arts, even though I enjoy them all, I have always particularly appreciated the difficulty of sculpting, especially out of something like marble. How is it possible for someone to take a chisel and create a beautiful work of art that is almost flawless? One wrong move and your whole block of marble has been wasted. Bernini is one of the masters of marble. His mastery of the technique is nothing short of miraculous. Look at this sculpture titled Apollo and Daphne. He has actually chosen to depict the moment where she is turning into a tree. Her leg has already become part of the trunk and her fingers and hair are turning into leaves. He also did his own version of David, and other than Michelangelo's David, it is by far the most beautiful that I know of.

Bernini is famous for his Counter-Reformation sculpture St. Theresa in Ecstasy. I have been wanting to find this sculpture in the small church outside of Rome since I first saw a picture of it in 9th grade. It is so incredibly beautiful. It is based on a story of a nun who felt an almost inappropriate elation during a vision of an angel who pierced her heart with an arrow. Bernini included as much emotion in this sculpture as was possible. He even put a window into the side of the building that is invisible when looking at the sculpture straight on so that it would have an ethereal glow. Absolutely beautiful.

I am sure that I have probably bored you to death with this post, but I think that Bernini is worthy of a post. He is an incredible artist with as much talent as any of them, but outside of art and humanities students I would wager that not many are familiar with him. Please learn more about him and his work at St. Peter's Basilica (better known as the Vatican). To entice you to do so, I am going to leave you with a detail from his sculpture The Rape of Proserpina. Look at the detail where his hand indents her skin. I am amazed every single time I see it.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Then Comes Kitty in a Baby Carriage

Before Kennedy came along, Lucy had free reign of our apartment and attention. Naturally, when we started moving in the baby stuff, Lucy assumed that they were new toys for her. She was constantly jumping in the crib, sniffing the bouncer, and playing with the musical toys. We had to start closing the door to Kennedy's room so that when she finally did arrive Lucy wouldn't think that it was ok to sleep with her. We did break her of that habit, but she has developed a new one. This is now her likely nap place.

She is constantly curled up in the stroller and it is now dripping with cat fur. She sleeps in it whether it is open or folded up (like it is in these pictures). She is acting just like the big sister that she is: anything that is for the baby was hers first, and she's going to use it.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Do You Doubt My Daughter's Cuteness?

I am planning on going shopping next weekend. Not for me, of course. I still don't fit into normal stuff. Instead I will be shopping ahead for Kennedy for next summer, which, admittedly, is just as fun. I went to the mall on Saturday to preview what was in the stores I want to hit when I was stopped by a lady in a white shirt. I assumed that it was one of the ladies from those kiosks wanting me to try some lotion or something. I was annoyed, until she told me what she wanted. She was from Kiddie Kandids, the kid photography place across the way. She told me that they were having a promotion where they would to a mini sitting and then give me a free 5x7 and a coupon for 30% off any of their packages if we come back in in the next month. I had seen pictures that my friend Taylor had gotten done there of her twins, and they were precious, so I decided to try it out. Kennedy was so cooperative and happy that the photographer went ahead and did an entire sitting with 6 poses even though it was only supposed to be 2-3. They turned out so cute that I had to stop myself from buying a full package before Brett had even seen the pictures. They only just came up online, so he still hasn't seen them, but you can be sure that his heart will melt like mine did when I saw them.

We can never seem to catch her huge smile on film. The delay on our camera kills us, and we can never seem to get it right. The photographer knew what she was doing and captured this great smile.

This one was entered into a company-wide portrait contest. First prize is a trip to Disney World! Don't worry. We aren't delusional parents who believe that there is no way that we couldn't win, but you have to admit that she's cute.

I definitely recommend Kiddie Kandids in University Mall. I am so happy that I took them up on their offer!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Here Come the Banana Splits!

These pictures are kind of old, as this party happened about a week before Kennedy was born (hence my extremely puffy face) and way before Boston was born, but since it was so close to the baby I wasn't able to blog about it. For Brett's birthday, his mom bought him banana split dishes and all of the stuff needed to make the ultimate banana split. (We still have ice cream in our freezer.) So, since the dishes were much too big for a single banana split, we invited the Waddoups over so we could make a dessert per couple. Can you guess which one belongs to the 9 months pregnant lady?

Obviously mine has tons of whipped cream and cherries. We had a great time! We watched a movie while enjoying our dessert too. Here are Kim and Nate ogling their ice cream that they weren't allowed to eat until we took pictures.

Here we are with our huge dessert. Brett is sporting his mouth full of whipped cream and I am sporting my pregnancy chubbiness. We are going to have to do this again now that we both have babies! (Don't worry, I will get pictures of Boston up here soon.)

By the way, I don't know if anyone but Blake will understand the reference in my title. You can get more information on the Banana Splits here. Also, please enjoy a video of the intro to the show. Does anybody remember this show?

Thursday, July 24, 2008

More Wyatt

Blake sent me some more pictures of Wyatt! Everybody keeps telling me how cute he is, and I'm so jealous that we haven't gotten to meet him yet. We won't get to see him until Thanksgiving, so we still have 4 months before we can see him. He's going to be so big! He already looks like he's grown. Here are some pictures of him just chillin'. He looks like both his mom and his dad. The nose and below look just like a Pitt (and Kennedy!) but above the nose looks like his mom!

I love that last picture. The look on his face is so funny!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Lucy's Impressions 4

This picture is from a while back, but I came across it looking through old pictures and thought that it would do nicely. She loves to lay by her toy mouse in hopes that someone will want to come and play with her. Or she does that when she gives up on saying please. Unlike a normal cat, she usually sprawls completely out and lays that way. But here she is sitting like a real cat, and although she did not oblige by sticking her paws out in front of her, here is her impression.

She most definitely looks like the Sphinx. She is not as much of an enigma as the real Sphinx, or a normal cat for that matter, but she still looks like it.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Compariposts

Go check out Brett's new blog! He has started a blog all about comparisons and opinions. Go and make your opinion heard! The current blog is comparing Jack Bauer and Chuck Norris. Who do you like better? Be sure to check it out on a regular basis so that you can let everyone know what you think about various topics. I have a link to it above and also in my Family and Friends section so you can see when it is updated.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Welcome Boston!

Yet another of our long awaited babies has been born! Boston (middle name undecided) Waddoups was born yesterday at 7:05 pm. He was 9 lbs 1 oz and 21 inches long! It's a good thing that he wasn't a week late like the doctor said he would be! I regrettably forgot my camera, so I have no pictures at the moment. Kennedy took a liking to him right away. His little bottom lip quivers which is so cute but heartbreaking! He has really long "monkey toes" that he will gladly stretch for you. We're so excited that he is here early and healthy. Congratulations Kim and Nate!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Conversations with Kennedy

Kennedy is a talky bug. She is constantly telling us stories about anything and everything. Sometimes she even "mad talks" instead of crying to let us know that she needs something. We finally caught her talking on video! It's so cute. This is how she talks to us most of the time. (Please forgive the video which is dark and sideways. We have no video savvy as of yet.) Enjoy the sounds!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Welcome Wyatt!

Yay! I finally have my first blood related nephew! Wyatt Blake Pitt was born today, July 16, at 8:30 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and was 19 inches long. Here he is! He has red hair, and if you look really closely, he and Kennedy have the exact same nose.

I don't have a picture of Lisa with the baby yet, but I'm sure that I will be getting more pictures in the days to come. But here is new daddy Blake with Wyatt.

We're so excited for Kennedy to have another little cousin! We have so many babies to look forward to. Lisa is doing great after a 26 hour labor that included 4 hours of pushing. His head was cocked a little bit to the side, so they eventually had to vacuum him out. Poor girl is probably exhausted. He is almost exactly 3 months younger than Kennedy, since she will be 3 months tomorrow. We are bummed that we won't get to actually see him until Thanksgiving, but I'm sure that we will see plenty of pictures until then. Congratulations Blake and Lisa!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Why I Love Dave Ramsey

Brett and I were introduced to Dave Ramsey a few weeks ago by the Guerrettes. We are so happy that they did! We have read his book The Total Money Makeover and we're hooked! Considering that we just had a baby by C-section and that earlier this year Brett was inbetween jobs for a while we have accrued some debt. We are now determined to get ourselves out of debt and stay that way forever! He has some incredible ideas about debt and economics. For an example, read this and see what I have been saying all along. He has really helped us to see what we can do with our money and how it can work for us and how we don't have to be slaves to our debt. I love that one of his main ideas about money is that giving is part of the fun. He talks extensively about how wonderful it is to give. We are so excited that we can start so young so that soon we will have plenty of money to have fun, invest, and give it away as well as being able to help our kids get through college. Read his books. You won't feel the same about money again.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Blackhawk Camping Trip

Kennedy went on her first camping trip this weekend! We went up to Blackhawk in Payson Canyon for Brett's sister Jamie's birthday. A ton of family was there and we had a great time. It was beautiful up in the mountains and there were so many yellow flowers. We got up there on Friday night and made fajitas and s'mores. Then we had an adventure in the tent. We brought our air mattress to sleep on since we don't have any sleeping bags, but the problem is that the mattress is notorious for deflating in the middle of the night. After an hour or so we had sunk to the middle of the bed and were squished like hot dogs with mattress on either side. We finally let the air out of the mattress, and wouldn't you know it, there were some nice rocks right underneath both of our hips. Thankfully Kennedy slept through the night. Here she is having breakfast just before 6:00 in the morning.

Waking up in the morning is my favorite part of camping trips. It was nice and cool (even though the night before was freezing, this was still nice) and the sun was gorgeous. Our view was fantastic. We had a great breakfast that included hot chocolate, sausage, bacon, pancakes, and eggs. After cleaning up camp, we went down to the lake because Jamie had her heart set on canoeing. Kennedy and I found a shady spot while Brett got his fishing pole in the water. We also had some great sandwiches for lunch. Our nephew Brandon found a huge log in the water that he wanted to tame and was trying to paddle it around the lake. (I had a picture of this, but Blogger is being dumb.) After fishing for a little while, Brett got in the canoe with Jamie, Lauren and Trevor and they decided to flip it over and walk back to shore Pirates of the Caribbean style. The venture was successful.

Kennedy was such a trooper and truly a happy camper the whole time. She has a great time being outside and she slept a lot which was great for us.

We even went to a work party for Brett that night up in Salt Lake at a miniature golf place and she did great there too even though she had already had a big weekend. We had so much fun playing golf and driving the go-karts. We'll have to go on the bumper boats next time!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Let's Try This Tagging Thing

My aunt Sheryl tagged me in her blog, so I am going to tell you six very random things about myself, and then tag six more of you, so look out!

1. Williams-Sonoma is my favorite store in the world: It is my toy store. I love to go there and just look around, try not to buy the $250 food processor that I've been wanting forever, go to their classes, try their samples, get cookbooks, and learn about great products and food. It is by far the best place to go for kitchen stuff because they guarantee everything in the store. If anything breaks or doesn't do what they say it will they will take it back, no questions asked and no receipt, and give you another one. It sounds too good to be true, but I tried it and it worked!

2. I am addicted to LOST: Seriously. I love that show and I really hate that they are only doing half seasons now. It's the only show I can't miss. I even missed the finale of American Idol this year, but I stress if I miss LOST.

3. My cat is more like a dog: She needs tons of attention, tries to get out the door whenever possible, comes when she is called, begs, fetches, goes on a leash, sleeps with me, and more.

4. I have always wished that I could dance: The only time that I really feel jealous about a skill that someone has that I don't is when I watch incredible dancers. I have a real respect for men and women who can dance their hearts out.

5. I love my class on 17th century French literature and art: Most people think that this class sounds horrible when I tell them what it is on, but it's great! Instead of writing a paper we are translating a play from French to English in groups, we have to include a researched critical introduction and we are getting it published. It's so much better than a 10-15 page paper! It's really interesting.

6. I ran 11 minutes today: After starting this week with only being able to run for 3.5 minutes, I ran a full 11 minutes today! I am on my way to my skinny jeans.

Alright, these 6 people are tagged and need to give me 6 random facts about themselves:
1. My aunt Jana - she and Loren crack me up, so we need more from them
2. My friend Blair - I've known her since 3rd grade...seriously
3. My sister-in-law Kaisa - they are always doing such fun things and I love seeing pictures of Jonah
4. My cousin Katie - we need more info on this blog!
5. My cousin Kelli - 2 months is much to long to wait for a post!
6. My friend Melissa - they have lots of fun stories, and I want to hear more

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on the blog
3. Write six random things about yourself
4. Tag six people at the end of your post
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up

Thursday, July 10, 2008

MVP

Brett is a sports maniac these days. He had ultimate frisbee on Tuesday, and then yesterday he had a softball game. He had an amazing game! He went three for three batting. His first time at bat he hit a beautiful double. He had a few great catches in the outfield, but the best was his inside the park homerun that gave the team 3 runs!

Coming across home plate

Nice swing!

Sliding into home

We had a great time at the game and went to the Malt Shop afterwards with the whole team. Kennedy loves being outside and played with Kim Waddoups and baby Boston (who is still in Kim's tummy). She cheered her cute daddy on so well! Brett definitely did a great job and deserved all the cheers he got.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Ultimate Frisbee

We were so sad last year when we didn't have an ultimate frisbee team to play on because Brett had so much fun the year before. But after a 2 year break we finally have a team to play for again! Brett is having a great time and Kennedy and I love to cheer him on from the sidelines (and talk to the other wives there too). Lately he has had some great plays, including passing the frisbee between an opponent's legs and a touchdown last night! Unfortunately it seems like every time he does something awesome the camera stalls and I get only the aftermath, but here he is on the field.

Here I actually got a shot of his catch!

We do miss our friends who played two years ago, but we have a great time with all the other families who are there now! If I can snap any spectacular plays I will be sure to post them.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Two Big Girls

Big Girl #1

I am still trying to lose almost 30 pounds of baby weight. Yes, I know that it has only been two and a half months and that most girls have trouble losing at least a little bit of the weight, but I feel like it's time to get it off. In my zeal I have made the mistake of starting a running routine with a girl that I go to church with right after my weightlifting class. I am really feeling it today, let me tell you.

On a lighter note, Brett's mom taught me how to make strawberry jam on Saturday and I now have 18 jars of jam with more strawberries left. It's insane how much this makes. But I'm so proud of myself that I made it and it tastes good! I feel so domestic. I always love making my cooking repertoire bigger.

Big Girl #2

Kennedy is getting so big! She is beginning to try laughing, and we are dying to hear when she does it for the first time. She's getting so much more control of her body and can even support her weight when sitting up (propped of course) for a little while.

She is so great, and sleeps 9-10 hours almost every night! We are taking her on her first camping trip up to Blackhawk for her aunt Jamie's birthday this weekend, so we'll see how that goes. We two big girls have a lot of fun together!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

One Tough Cookie

I had a request for more Kennedy, and here she is! She had her first round of shots today since she is 2 months old. I have been stressing about this day for a while because I've heard bad things about it. I made Brett come with us so that he could hold her. Here is how she did.

Before

After

She did great! She was surprisingly tough during the whole ordeal. 3 shots and only a little bit of crying. She cried for a little while and then had this pathetic little face for a while. She then proceeded to fall asleep and was happy as a clam when she woke up. I am so proud of her for doing so well! There was a little girl there getting her year shots who screamed bloody murder, and her parents said that that was the best she had ever done. Kennedy really is a great girl and she is so easy! She is not very needy and is calm and happy most of the time. We love her so much!

PS - For those of you anxiously awaiting a post about who is camping out for the parade, I found out why no one is out there yet. The city actually passed an ordinance saying that no one can set up camp until 3:00 this afternoon. Woohoo Provo government! You can bet that at 3:00 there will be some serious business going on on that parade route!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

My Provo

I am stealing this post (but tweaking it for my own Provo purposes) from my friend Noelle (in Columbus) who stole it from her friend (in Austin). So though I am being completely unoriginal (as well as typing with only one hand due to the kitty who believes that she has been attention starved and wants to make her own comments on the blog) I thought that this was kind of fun. I think that most people feel that the city in which they live is boring because they have done everything that there is to do. This questionnaire gave me a chance to look at Provo a little bit differently and find the things that I love and the things that I want to try. Feel free to steal this from me and do it for yourself, even if you live in Provo you'll probably come up with different answers!

My Provo

Age: 23

Occupation: Student/Mom

I've lived here for: 3 1/2 years

I live here because: I came for school and am graduating in December. We're here until Brett finishes school and a year of residency and then we'll be off to grad school, hopefully in Atlanta or Philadelphia.

My neighborhood: 4 blocks south of BYU campus

My favorite restaurant: Gloria's Little Italy, India Palace

If you go to this restaurant, be sure to order: Anything at Gloria's, Chicken Tikka Masala at India Palace

My favorite museum: The MOA on BYU campus. They have a huge selection of fantastic art and artists for a college campus and get lots of traveling exhibits as well.

My favorite tourist destination: LaVell Edwards stadium is probably the closest thing (other than BYU itself) that people would travel to Provo for. Football games are really fun! (See previous post)

Best insider spot: Sub-Zero Ice Cream. So creative! They actually freeze the cream right there in front of you and it is absolutely delicious. I think that Gloria's counts as an insider place too.

My favorite area: The Riverwoods. It has a Williams-Sonoma (my favorite store in the world), Tucano's and Happy Sumo, Color Me Mine, lots of cute baby stores, and more! Plus it is a really pretty shopping center.

Best place to go shopping: Riverwoods is pretty good. Other than that I usually go to University Mall.

When you visit, don’t forget to pack: Some kind of outdoor gear like hiking boots, fishing pole, skis, or anything else that will help you have some serious outdoor fun.

But leave room in your suitcase for: See's Candy

The one local cuisine you should try when you’re in town is: Fried cauliflower at Lon's Cookin' Shack. I know it sounds weird but Brett and I love it!

The best way to get around: From our apartment, if you're going anywhere other than BYU then car is the way to go. The pedestrian/car relationship here is a little bit scary.

If I had to describe this city in one word, it would be: University. Seriously. For a city that is not that huge, there are a very disproportionate number of schools and students. And with UVSC becoming UVU yesterday, this will only get worse. Plus you have two streets that intersect that are called University. Confusing.

I tell my friends to stay at: Since we don't have room in our apartment anymore the best place in one of the many Marriotts that abound in Utah and in Provo.

The one thing most outsiders don’t know about this city is: The 4th of July parade is insane. People start camping out 2-3 days before. It is crazy. I'll be sure to post when I see the first camper out there. I've been keeping my eyes peeled.

They say “Virginia is for lovers.” So fill in the blank: Provo is for DTRs. If you don't know this phrase you have obviously never been to BYU. Defining The Relationship. You can walk around Provo any day of the week and see a couple having a discussion about where their relationship is going.

What do you want to do that you haven't done in your city yet? Go to The Herb Shop and eat a full meal at Chef's Table

Is there anything else within an hour or two that's a "Don't miss it?": Temple Square in Salt Lake. Especially during Christmas.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Lucy's Impressions 3

It is time yet again for one of Lucy's great impressions! This time around she is getting ready for football season a little bit early.

She's obviously hoping that she'll be able to show off her new found talent at all those BYU games. Unfortunately for Brett, he probably won't be able to see her do that much during the Raiders games. This impression was of a nicer nature than her previous ones. We can't wait to see what she comes up with next.