Bradlee Eugene Kingston Raymond

My niece Brittany had her third baby this morning. Bradlee Eugene Kingston Raymond, my second great-nephew, was born at 12:47 am CDT. He weighed 11 lbs. 2 oz. and was 22 in. long! Brittany and Bradlee are doing well.

Eugene is a family name. It’s one of my grandpa’s middle names and it’s my dad’s middle name. My dad used to always tease my nieces and nephews by calling them Eugene. He always wrote [first name] Eugene on their birthday cards. And, whenever they’d come over, he’d say, “Hello, [(miss or mister) first name] Eugene.” They’d always complain and tell him they weren’t named Eugene. I think it’s really sweet that Brittany chose to name her son Eugene after my dad.

Congratulations, Brittany!

Paige Elizabeth Morris

Jen and Randy, my sister- and brother-in-law, welcomed their second daughter into their family yesterday afternoon. Their little girl weighed 4 lbs. 13 oz. and was 17 in. long. Her name is Paige Elizabeth Morris.

Paige is small like her older sister Addi was, although, she is a few ounces bigger.  Addi has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of “sister” for some time now.  We’ll see if that holds true once she realizes how drastically her life is about to change.

Congratulations, Jen and Randy!

Wordless Wednesday

This picture was taken by me in April 2010 when Corey and I went bowling with my niece Aymee and her family.  How would you caption this picture?

More Sailing

Last Saturday, Corey and I went sailing with his family again.  This time, however, instead of sailing on Hyrum Dam, we went to Bear Lake.  I absolutely love Bear Lake; it’s so beautiful right from the moment you see it when you come out of Logan canyon.  The water is so blue, and Corey said that several times when he was younger (and basically living on Bear Lake) many foreigners asked him what was put in the water to make it so blue.  Unfortunately, pictures don’t do it justice!

The wind was great and the boat was moving at 5.4 knots at one point.  My parents-in-law told me that when they took it out for a test run, the boat got up to 7 knots.  This boat, Moonstruck, has won many sailing races and it has been a family favorite for many years.

Both Corey and I got a chance to steer the boat.  Corey, of course, is an old pro so it was very natural for him.  I, on the other hand, was scared to death and had a very solid grip on the wheel because I was afraid to steer us into another boat, kayaker, or even the beach.  My sister-in-law Jen was laughing very hard while I was in charge.  She said she could see the whites of my knuckles because my grip was so firm.

I wore my new swimsuit while we were sailing.  Thanks to my friend Danylle, I finally found one that fit me with the support I desperately need in a swimsuit.  I put on sunscreen more than once because I hate being sunburned.  I don’t feel like being tan is worth the pain of being sunburned first since that’s what I do being as fair-skinned as I am.  However, even though I put sunscreen on, I still came away with a nasty burn on my back, shoulders, and chest area–the back being the worse.  I don’t think I’ll be going back out any time soon, even though school doesn’t start for another five weeks.

Sunburn aside, it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed sailing and swimming in the water.  I also enjoyed almost having a seagull land on me because Jen threw a piece of bread right where I was.

Kimiko Gifts

My niece Aymee is a very talented crafter.  Her daughters are always so cute decked out in the hair things and clothes embellishments she makes.  When her oldest daughter was born, she started crafting as something to do while she was at home all day.  She makes beautiful hair ribbons, clips, and headbands as well as miscellaneous things like pictures, cards, jewelry, and magnets.

I love her style of crafts because they’re not in the country style, which is my main experience with crafts.  Aymee’s crafts are very vintage looking (she actually made all the decorations for my niece Carlee’s shower and reception, including the bouquet and other flowers) and look as though they could be sold in a Pottery Barn catalog.

In the past, she has sold her stuff at open houses and booths at holiday fairs.  However, just recently, she opened an Etsy store called Kimiko Gifts.  The store is small right now, but she has been slowly adding merchandise to sell.  I wanted to mention her store to help get her name out there.  Her stuff is super cute and super inexpensive.  You should check it out and let others know about her cute stuff, too!

PS–The things in her store right now are mostly for children, but she does make things for adults too.