Ah! A Blog Post!

It's been more than 7 months since a blog post appeared.

7 months!

That's about half as old as Miss Baby Belle, who isn't much of baby anymore...

I will NOT attempt to make up for the last 7 months, however I do really want to post some highlights. So, I'll cheat and pre-date some of the future posts coming, including a couple of cute collages of Miss Belle's growth and a fun record of the funny things Winston has said the last few months.

Happy New Year, one and all!

Winston Says Some Funny Things

Sometimes Winston says the funniest things! I’ve made a point to jot them down the last few months. I’m sure I’ve missed some, but enjoy the ones I remembered to catch.

[before breakfast one day] "Mom, I want oatmeal. The maple and brown sugar kind. And honey toast. And a pear. And kidney beans."

"Even if I'm not wearing my batman shirt, I'm still batman."
"I'm not Winston, I'm batman."
"This is not a stick it is my bat-stick"

Winston: "What does banana start with?"

Melanie responding: "Buh-nana"

Winston: "Oh, a B! Like Britton Batman."

"Mom, can I have a snack?"

Melanie: "No, we're having dinner. Come sit and eat with us."

Winston: "But I'm not hungry."

Melanie: "Then will you please go grab me that?"

Winston: "But I'm hungry."

"Mom, can I have a cough drop?"

Melanie: "Why?"

Winston: "Because my tummy hurts."

Melanie: "How come little boys stink after they go outside to play?"

Winston: "I want to smell you. [sniff] You smell like fruit snacks!!!"

Melanie: "Winston, will you play with my hair?"

Winston, as he pushes hair down over my ear into my face, frantically asked: "Mom, what is in you hair!?"

Melanie: "It's my ear."

Winston: "Oh."

"Mom, my sweettarts smell like sweettarts!"

Melanie: "Winston, go back to bed it's not 7am yet."

Winston: (Storms back to room, sits on bed and stares at the clock, whimpering) "Mom, why is it taking so long?"

(He isn’t allowed to come out of his room until his clock turns to a 7. This was 1 day after daylights savings, so 6am was the old 7 am...who knows how long the poor kid sat waiting for the clock to turn.)

"We have to find a cookie because we don't have one."

(Sapphire grunted and growled)
Winston: (giggles) “She did that to make me laugh."


Winston praying: "Heavenly Father,“ [pause] “thank you that we did stuff.” [longer pause] “Amen."

Melanie: "Winston, what are you doing?"
Winston: "Nothing."
Melanie: "What are supposed to be doing?"
Winston: "Doing what I already did."


Winston: (Giggles)
Melanie: “What's so funny?”
Winston: “Sapphire is looking at me.”
Melanie: “Oh, does she have big eyes?”
Winston: “Yeah, she looks like Toothless” (Toothless is the dragon on How to Train Your Dragon)

“Mom, do you know where dragons come from?”
Melanie: “Where?”
Winston: “A volcano and then a rock wall.”


Primary Teacher: “Winston does your dad hold the priesthood?”
Winston: “No, he holds my mom.”


Winston: “Haha! My poop is soup!”
Melanie: “It's called diarrhea.”
Winston: “What?”
Melanie: “Diarrhea.”
Winston: “Oh.”


“Mom, look what I can do.” (As he does “I love you” in sign language with his hand)
Melanie: “Oh, yep, that means I love you in sign language.”
Winston: “No, it's how spiderman shoots his web.”


Winston: “I have razor sharp claws like batman.”
Melanie: “I didn't know Batman had razor sharp claws.”
Winston: “He doesn't. But me batman, I do. Don't touch them they are really sharp.”

She Grew! And She Won't Stop!

My mom used to always tell me to stop growing. And when I grew, as kids do, she'd ask why I wouldn't stop. I feel exactly the same way. I love little babies and the time of little-ness flies away too quickly. Of course, I don't want to be awakened multiple times in the night forever, nor do I want to pay for diapers forever, but I could carry around my little bundle for much longer. I could enjoy baby snuggles, little coos, giggles, and jabbering forever.

What a year it has been! We've come so far! Instead of waking up multiple times at night, I now enjoy a full night's rest (the majority of the time). Amidst her running around and teasing, I'm still allowed occasional baby snuggles. But my little Baby Belle is turning into a toddler, with all the cute (for now) little temper tantrums and all. {sigh}

*A note on the alligator: when pregnant with Sapphire, Winston said we should name her Baby Alligator. When she was born, we helped him choose the stuffed alligator to give her as a gift.


At 12 months, Miss Belle:
- Weighed 18.8 lbs.
- 28 1/2 inches (I think the nurse mis-measured and that she was really longer, because that wasn't any growth from 9 months, but her clothing is much shorter on her than it was). She was a little chunk from about 4 months until 9 months, but at 12 months she slipped down the growth charts to about 27th percentile in length and 17th percentile in weight).
- Crawled in the most delightful and unique way. She cruised by swimming her right arm in the air while pushing her left arm on the ground and stepping with her right leg and sliding across the floor with her left leg.
- Started to take steps when coaxed (starting walking on her own by 13 months).

Happy 8th Year Wedding Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Us!

8 years of marriage,
7 places of residence,
6 marathons completed (Sam), 6 years serving in Young Women's (Mel),
5 years living outside of Logan and yet still traveling to Logan to stock up on cheese from Gossner's (never purchased cheese from anywhere else),
4 completed college degrees,
3 car titles owned,
2 beautiful children,
1 happy couple--growing closer together with every new experience.



We're now officially beyond the "7-year itch." I dare say I'm more in love now than I was 8 years ago! It's funny to think we've been married eight years. It doesn't seem like that much time has flown by, and yet at the same time it seems it's been a lot longer than that. I'm happy to be married. Of course there are differences that need to be acknowledged (and sometimes ignored), and times we are too easily irritated, but I know I'm a better person because of Sam and our 8+ years together. Love you, Sam!

My Brother Vance: Rest in Peace

The youngest of my older brothers, Vance (32), passed away last Sunday evening, not long after a family party. Much to our heart break, he sadly took his own life. We are very saddened--both for his passing and for his anguish and pain through the years. Click here for the obituary of Vance Roger Blackham (also in text below).

Brian, Jason, Vance & Sam on a backpacking trip in the Uinta's.

Sapphire is a picky little baby, but she always enjoyed playing with Vance's hat and mustache.
Taken the day he passed away.

Vance and Winston enjoying each other's company on our trip to Yellowstone in 2011.

Last week was an emotional week, but also full of many kind words and deeds from friends, neighbors, coworkers and family. I can already think of many lessons I have learned. My heart is full of so many emotions, thoughts and prayers.

Winston (as a baby) and Vance.

All of Vance's siblings.

Vance is buried at the feet of my Grandpa Jack,
who passed away about 1 1/2 years ago.

Vance Roger Blackham, 32, of Orem, Utah, tragically passed away on May 19, 2013. He was born May 15, 1981 in Provo, Utah to Nancy Thacker and Earl Blackham. Vance graduated from Taylorsville High School in 1999. He married Krystal Husbands and together they had one daughter; they later divorced. Vance loved to cook. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, camping, horses, model cars and trains, bike riding, country music, movies, and Nascar, but most of all he loved spending time with his daughter and nieces and nephews. Vance had a kind, tender heart and his loud booming voice will be greatly missed. Vance was survived by his daughter Danielle Dakota Blackham, residing in Gray, Louisiana, his parents Earl Blackham of Kemmerer, Wyoming, and Nancy Thacker (Darrell Noble) of Orem; siblings Jason (Merrilee) Blackham of Ogden, Eric (Becky) Blackham of Helper, Brian (Jana) Blackham of American Fork, Melanie (Sam) Jewkes of Taylorsville, Melissa Noble of Clearfield, Mitch Noble of Orem, Emily Noble of Pasadena, California, and Alex (Tiffany) Noble of Orem; grandmother Elna Blackham of Orem; 11 nieces and 10 nephews, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. His grandparents Dallas and Norma Thacker and grandfather Jack R Blackham precede him in death. 

Easter 2013

You never know how hard it is to take a photo of two little ones until you try...

Always and Never

I know, I know--"never say never." But I'm not talking about things like "I've never broken a finger." I'm talking about more or less day-to-day activities and habits. Have you ever noticed that there are things you do (and don't do) habitually? I decided to make a list--an action-type list, not one of emotions (not "I always love to..." or "I never enjoy..."). Unfortunately, many things don't cut the list at this time. I'd love to say I never yell at my adorable preschooler or that I always have a plan for dinner. And there are many things that I almost always do or almost never do that just don't quite make it.

I always:
- Wear a seatbelt. Even if I'm dropping things off around the neighborhood.
- Brush my teeth night and day and floss each evening.
- Say a prayer before I sleep at night.
- Eat breakfast.
- Pay a full tithing.
- Give people the benefit of a doubt.
- Pay my credit and charge cards off in full each month (we only use them for the cash back rewards and store discounts, anyway).
- Shop the clearance racks first when shopping for clothes.
- Order just water to drink at restaurants.

I never:
- Drink alcohol. Or coffee. Or energy drinks.
- Smoke.
- Shop at Walmart.
- Remember to say a prayer before I get out of bed in the morning.
- Wear pajamas all day.
- Have purchased an app for my iPhone or iPad for personal use.**
- Pay for or watch TV/Cable/TiVo/netflix/etc in our home.
- Go more than 2 days without exercise (unless I'm sick).

**Note: this is not any kind of commitment; I reserve the right to move any item on or off the lists. :)


I'm kind of surprised how short the lists are. For the creatures of habit we are, these are the only things I can think of that I am 100% consistent. There are many things that are almost there. One day I hope to expound both lists with positive things--specifically in regard to parenting.

3 Generations: Alive and Well

One year ago today, my mom suffered a severe ischemic stroke. Unbeknownst to her or any of her physicians, my mom had PFO (basically, the "hole" in the heart that closes when an infant takes its first breath wasn't truly "closed" and so a blood clot went to her brain). About 12 hours after a minor back surgery, she had the stroke at home.

Thankfully, my step-dad was right by her, recognized the signs, and called 911 immediately. The stroke left lasting damage, however, my mom has recovered excellently. She struggles a little with speech, spelling, and numbers, but she's able to do virtually all she could do before. However, due to the nature of her job and the extent of the damage, she was unable to return to work (which, ironically, was in heart disease and stroke prevention with the State Health Department). She's always wanted to stay home to spend more time with grandchildren and sewing, but none of us expected it to happen because of a stroke.

The stroke shook up my whole family in multiple ways. I know I realized, once again, how precious life is, and how quickly things can change. We witnessed many miracles in her quick recovery--many prayers were answered.

At the time, I was just discovering I was pregnant with Baby Belle. I didn't know officially at the time, but I knew (you know?). I am so grateful to still have my mom.



Fun little fact: when my mom was my age, she was pregnant with her fifth (5th! At age 28!) child and only girl.

4 Months Old

Baby Belle is growing all too quickly, according to my preferences. But what do you do? I guess I'll keep nibbling on these chubby cheeks.

She weighed in at 14 lbs 6 oz, and measures 25 1/2 inches. 

I keep thinking she's a lot bigger than Winston ever was, but when I looked back on his measurements, he was the same length and only about 1 1/2 pounds less. 

At 4 months, she's not sleeping through the night; in fact, she's up 2-3 times a night all through January. But in December every single night she only woke up once. {big sigh} Oh well. She's cute. And little. So she can get away with virtually anything.

Living on Less: Joy of Less Conclusion

About a year ago, I starting blogging about minimalist, clutter-free living. I believe there were 7 parts to my commentary on the book, and this post will be my final post about The Joy of Less.

Perhaps some of you have resolutions to become more organized or clutter-free or to simplify life. I know our little Joy of Less journey has done all of that for us. Here's a summary of all we did (that I can remember) to become more clutter-free.

First of all, I went through nearly every room and closet and PURGED stuff. And I realized that it was just STUFF. Some things we kept because they were meaningful. Some things were necessary or super useful. Some things were just plain ol' fun. But many, many things were just taking up space. Space I wanted to prepare for our new baby girl. Space I wanted to have empty so my house felt more open and not squished.

We purged a LOT. These were all sold on KSL:
- my cracked iPod touch
- TV stand
- a shelf for cube boxes/baskets
- a small cedar-type chest
- my old financial calculator used in college courses
- my old TI83 calculator from high school math classes
- extra un-used throw pillows
- couch cover
- an old SLR film camera (awesome camera....but it's FILM...)
- a formal pooffy dress slip
- 2 chests of drawers (we found room for those clothes in our closet...no need for the extra furniture)
- a small pantry cupboard
- a metal towel rack/shelf
- a large baker's rack

We made just over $400 selling this unnecessary stuff. Much was just stowed away in closets or in the garage. It was, at one point in the past, useful. However, it was no longer needed or used by us.

Some of the items we got purged. I didn't get
photos of everything over the course of the year.

In addition, I donated over 9-10 boxes of clothing and random objects to thrift stores and other charities. We also got rid of a large computer desk (well, actually, we just moved it to Sam's work for his use there...but it's out of the house, so it counts).

To maximize space we purchased some items, including hanging closet organizers (I couldn't believe how much space was not being used in the closests!), a cabinet over the fridge and a cabinet for our computer printer and office supplies.

In part to our hard work at decluttering, in part for Christmas gift to ourselves, and in part for reaching other goals, we got rid of a HUGE mitsubishi 50-inch big screen TV (the old big screen TVs that were about 15 inches thick...can't complain, though, because we got it for free) and purchased a nice, sleek (and thin!) Samsung HD 46" LED 1080p 120 hz BYOB 24/7 ASAP and mounted it above our fireplace. Talk about open space!

As recommended by the author of Joy of Less, I scheduled a yearly declutter weekend to happen over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Our mind is already racing with where to start and what to sift through. I've definitely re-discovered that living on less has so many benefits.

“That’s the beauty of minimalist living—being satisfied with what’s enough to meet our needs, rather than wasting our time, money, and energy to fulfill lofty or unrealistic expectations...When we’re content with “enough,” life becomes infinitely easier, more pleasant, and less harried.

It’s very liberating.” (Joy of Less pg. 258)

It's been a fun journey. I appreciate the idea the author details of "gatekeeping"--basically being constantly aware of what you allow to stay in your home. It's amazing how easily "stuff" enters our home and sticks around if we're not careful.


To re-cap ideas from Joy of Less and my own two cents, see these posts:
Part 1: Declutter Bug
Part 2: Space
Part 3: Decluttering How-To
Part 4: Tough Stuff 
Part 5: Where to Put What You Keep
Part 6: Gatekeeping
Part 7: Gifts and Heirlooms

Christmas Recap in Photos

December was so busy that I'm surprised we even got photos!

Winston was very proud of his gingerbread man decorated at preschool.
It stayed on our kitchen table for weeks--each day he nibbled on it.

I've seen better Santas, but Winston didn't mind.

I was born in December and the hospital sent me home in a stocking.
My mom brought it to our Christmas Eve breakfast and Baby Belle fit in it.

Christmas morning!

I love how they have the same look on their face.

So precious. (and very untypical, cute, cuddly sibling pose)

Excited about one of his gifts.

Our little Elf.

More typical don't-kiss-me sibling pose.