12 Months

Ellie is 12 months old! I can't believe that a year has gone by with our little sweet pea! It sure went fast, but we've had lots of fun with her throughout the fastness!

At Ellie's 12 month appointment this Monday, we found out that she had terrible ear infections in both ears, and I felt bad for her because she had had a hard day on Sunday, so I figured something was up. Her doctor looked her chart over, and when he realized that this was her 4th ear infection in 4 months straight, he decided it was time for tubes (HOORAY!)! He gave us a referral, and I called that evening and got Ellie an appointment for Wednesday. I was excited to get her in so quickly, because I knew the sooner we got her in, the sooner she'd start to feel better and stop having ear infections!

Anyway, her 12 month appointment was good, but she is on the small side. Dr. Nielsen isn't too worried about that though, because she's been consistent with her small-ness! She's currently 19 lbs 13 oz which puts her in the 27th percentile for weight. She's 29 inches tall and in the 43rd percentile for height, and her head is 17.6 inches around which is the 37th percentile. She's very small, and this is the smallest she's been with weight in a while.

We started giving Ellie whole milk a few days after she turned one, but she didn't really like it until lately. She's still figuring it out but definitely prefers nursing still. She is a good eater otherwise, but has started to become a bit picky.

Anyway, here are more things about Ellie at 1 year old!:

• She's wearing size 12 month clothes, but still some 6-9 month jammies.
• She wears size 3 shoes, but is getting close to growing out of them.
• She Loves to play with all the new toys from Christmas and her birthday, especially her puppy, activity table, corn popper, and school bus oh and her blocks, too!
  
• She takes 2 naps a day, but I can tell the morning nap is going to fade out soon!
• She goes to sleep at about 7:30 and wakes up around 7 or 7:30.
• Her favorite foods are blueberries, sweet potatoes, string cheese and saltine crackers, but she eats almost anything we give her.
• She LOVES to play with our neighbor's baby, Lexi and the are the bestest friends.
• She can say, dada, daddy, mama, na na (banana, or food in general) and hi. She doesn't say mama very often, but she'll come around ;)
• She loves to drink water from our camelbak water bottles.
• Bath time is still probably her favorite thing to do.
• She is hilarious all the time, and loves to be silly and dance to any music and sing the beginning to the Backyardigans theme song.
• She's the cutest little one year old there ever was, and we love her to death!

Look for another post about her 1st birthday party, which was of course ALL PINK! :D

But here's a sneak peek of what she looked like at her party!

We sure love Ellie, and we've had such a fun time being parents to her. She's the best decision we ever made, and I'm glad we took a leap of faith to start a family, because I would be so bored without her in my life!

Ellie: Eleven months old!

Has it really been nearly a year that little Ellie has been with us? It doesn't seem like it's been that long, but at the same time it seems like it's been forever!

Ellie's such a fun little girl, and she's exactly that now--a little girl! Not a baby! I can't believe how much she's turning into a toddler lately! From nearly running, to starting to say words, to just her little mannerisms.

Poor Ellie's been hit with the sick bug WAAAY too many times during the past month or so, but that hasn't stopped her from being happy and cute most of the time. Today we went to the doctor again for her ears. She has been struggling to sleep through the night and last night she was up all night screaming which meant just one thing to me--ear infection. I was right. Though this time, it's only a mild ear infection in her left ear. I'm hoping and praying that she gets over it quickly and that this antibiotic does the trick!

I'm nearly done planning every little detail for Ellie's 1st birthday party, and I'm way excited about it. It's going to be a lot of fun! It'll be so cute to watch Ellie open presents, eat cake and ice cream and just have fun. I'm also very excited for Christmas this year and watching Ellie figure things out.

Well, here are some things about our little sweet pea at eleven months old:

• She's wearing almost all 12 month clothes, still some 6-9 month outfits here and there
• She wears size 3 diapers, is just now fitting into size 3 shoes and she's got enough hair for some cute and elaborate hairstyles!
• She weighs 19 lbs 1 oz and is 27 1/2 inches tall!
  
• She's got two teeth on the bottom and her two top teeth are looking like they'll be here within a couple of weeks
• She eats all table food and will only let you spoon feed her applesauce and yogurt, but still has to stick her fingers in her mouth and make a mess with it!
• She loves goldfish crackers, puffs, cheerios, peas, sweet potatoes, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, mangoes, bread, pasta and pretty much anything else you try to feed her.
  
• She's still nursing at least 4 but sometimes 5 times a day (and she doesn't bite! Thank goodness)
• She has a little bit of a temper when things don't go her way, and sometimes she will bit her own hand, your hand, or whatever she's near if she gets upset at you for telling her no, taking something away, or taking her away from something.
• She can say daddy, but doesn't say it very often.
• She loves her little stuffed kitty, but I think she thinks kitties bark like puppies because every time we give her the kitty or ask her where the kitty is, she barks like a dog. (oops!)
• She loves animals, and gets very excited about playing with them, petting them or even seeing them
• Her favorite thing to watch is the Backyardigans, and I only let her watch less than 1 episode a day when I need to get something done, or if she's super ornery
• She is still taking 2 naps a day and goes to bed around 7:30-8
• She loves to listen to us read books
• She loves to turn the pages of any books, and is very gentle with them for the most part

Seeing as how many sicknesses we've dealt with in the last month or so, she's such a happy well-behaved little girl and we are SO thankful for that! She's so curious and loves to figure things out. It's super cute. We're so happy to have you in our family, Ellie!

(sorry no photos at the moment. Maybe soon. Today was NOT the day to take pictures of Ellie...)

Christmas time

This time of year is my favorite for many reasons, and I am so happy that I've got 90% of my decorations up! The only thing missing is a tree. This year, we're opting for a small 4 ft or so tree to save money, and because we're going to be in Roosevelt for Christmas.

As I have grown older, I have realized more and more the importance and true meaning of Christmas and I can't help but say that I feel I have been blessed beyond all measure throughout my life. Even when I feel like times are tough and I may not be able to have everything I want, I am so thankful to have the basic necessities of life. I have definitely taken this for granted, and I hope that as I continue to mature and age I can realize the tender mercies and beautiful blessings around me more.

One thing I am extremely grateful for at this time of year is my family. I am so thankful to have all of my family within a few hours drive. It brings about a sense of security that I didn't know I had until we moved all the way across the country for the summer.

Our future is very much up in the air right now and I want to be able to have no regrets about the time I have left living so close to family and having that support near-by. Because this may or may not be our last Christmas in Utah, we are trying to do many fun things here and spend a lot of time with family and close friends before we're off to other adventures!

I'm looking forward to the upcoming month of December. I am so excited to start some traditions of our own with our little family and teach Ellie the traditions we each have brought into our family. I'm extra excited for Ellie's reactions to things like the Christmas tree once it's all decorated, the present opening and the toys that Santa will be bringing her!

This year went by SO quickly and as I think about how November is leaving us and December is knocking at the door, I'm feeling very bittersweet because that means my sweet little baby is turning 1! I am so thankful for her and every single day I get to stay home with her and watch her learn and grow!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and you all get to do amazingly fun things this year!

Blogging fail

I don't know what it is lately, but I HATE to blog. I don't know if it's that my ADD has taken over and I can't seem to focus my attention to one thought for more than five minutes or if it's just that I live a SUPER boring life.

Probably a nasty little combination of BOTH.

So does anybody have a "quick fix" for this bleh attitude towards blogging? Do I need to give up and write in a real journal every day?

Speaking of journal, I need to catch up on Ellie's baby book! She's doing so many awesome things lately!

Yesterday, I successfully taught her to find her nose and touch it when I say, "Where's your nose?" It is the cutest thing ever. It may take her about a minute and a few pokes in the eye, cheek, ear, and mouth, but she keeps trying and eventually gets to her nose, then gets REALLY happy because she knows she did it! She also learned how to hold her hand up to her ear when we say "hello" as if she's talking on a phone. Super cute as well!

She's getting SO BIG!!! I can't believe how much she isn't a little baby anymore and how much of a little toddler she's becoming! She's such a blessing and a joy in our lives! She makes every trial, hardship, bad feeling, bad day worth it when she smiles and snuggles me!

I am SO very grateful that my loving Heavenly Father would entrust me to take care of and nurture such a sweet little daughter! I am even more thankful that He seems to bless us in so many other ways so I can stay home and teach her the things only I can teach her.

I've been feeling very pitty partyish lately about budgets, staying in them, having them, following counsel from David and having a hard time with being a poor college student family. While I know this phase won't last forever, I am surely looking forward to getting out of it, but at the same time I'm thankful to be experiencing it! I know that the most important things in life can't be bought, and that is manifested to me every time I look into my sweet baby girl's eyes, see her smile or hear her laugh.

I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to be a mother and to love and nurture one of God's children. It has been and I'm sure will continue to be one of the greatest blessings I will experience in this life. I am also very thankful for the Gospel and the guidance we have within it. It's so reassuring to know that because I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I can read/listen to the words of modern day prophets and receive guidance for my life. I am also very thankful for the concept of Eternal Families and the knowledge that I can be with my sweet family forever! I'm most thankful though, that when the going gets tough and it seems like I just can't take it anymore, I can turn to my Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ and through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I can be at peace with whatever life throws at me!

I guess this was my fast and testimony meeting testimony, since I didn't share my testimony yesterday in Sacrament Meeting!

Life as of late

Here are some pictures of what's happened in our lives recently...

My brother Boyd invited David to go to the Coach's show @ Lavell Edward's Stadium before the BYU v. Utah game.

Ellie's hair is super long! So it sticks up if you put it in pigtails wet and pull them straight. Love it! Also, she loves this bottle of Velocity Facial Cleanser. Silly girl loves to go into my bathroom, find it and run away before I take it away.

This girl seriously loves the Xbox control. Like A LOT! She likes to push the middle button and turn the Xbox on. I turn it off multiple times a day, then I'll turn my back and it's on again. Silly girl! She also likes to lounge with her daddy on the couch while eating the Xbox control.

Hiking the "Y"

Ever since we moved to Provo, I have wanted to hike the "Y" and we finally did it!

We left our apartment a little after 9 and got started up the trail at about 9:30. The weather was perfect & the temperature was just right so it wasn't cold, or hot!


David carried Ellie in the Kelty backpack & she LOVED it. She loved looking out at all the different things along the trail.

It took us almost an hour to get up, and I thought I was going to die for a part of it (I'm still very out of shape from having Ellie...) but once we got to the top it was worth it! We took a few pictures, got Ellie out of the backpack & took a little rest, then headed back down.

We made it!


On the way down, Ellie fell asleep in the Kelty. It was pretty funny, but it seemed SO uncomfortable, so I folded my jacket for her little head to rest on.

(also, she plopped the binky out of her mouth on the way down, & we lost it :( we're sad about that)

We ran into a guy I went to USU with & worked on ATV News with. Random, but cool. It was good to quickly say hello & catch up briefly.

David was exhausted by the end of the hike, but I was feeling great (because I didn't have to carry an extra 20 lbs!!)!
David & Ellie at the trail head AFTER we hiked :)
We tried to keep Ellie asleep once we got to the car, but it just didn't work. She woke up when I put her in the car seat, then didn't take another nap until later that afternoon.

It was great to get out and enjoy the outdoors while the weather is still nice! I'm hoping to go hiking every Saturday until it's too cold to do so, so stay tuned for more pictures of more fun hikes around Utah Valley!

Labor Day Fun!

As I mentioned earlier, we headed out to Roosevelt for Labor Day weekend!

In my family, we have this tradition of going "up the mountain" (as we call it) to Pole Creek (pronounced "crick") Cave on the Monday of LDay weekend. It has been a lot of fun every time I've gone & this year was NO exception.

Two of my brothers, Jason & Jared, my sister Tyra & their families were all there, in addition to my little family & parents. We were also joined by my Grandma Holman, Uncle Logan and his two kids Laurel & Drake. It was a nice big crowd, which makes things like this even MORE fun :D

We packed our vehicles & headed to Pole Creek with the hopeful idea that we'd be able to get inside the cave & that it WOULDN'T be full of water. We knew that since it was such a wet year, our chances were very slim.

Once we hiked down to the cave entrance, we quickly discovered that our plans were indeed thwarted by mother nature and the cave was full of water! Random fact about this cave, nobody has found an end to it, because you can only hike into it until you reach water...it would be interesting to send some kind of under water night vision camera to see if you could ever find the end...

Ready to hike down to the cave

Aunt Tyra playing with Ellie

Because we were in the most beautiful mountains in the world, we were able to still have a lot of fun! We hopped back into the vehicles & drove up to the Sinks. The Sinks are awesome. BEAUTIFUL waterfall & a pool of water that swirls around and disappears. Nobody knows where the water goes...it's been a mystery for who knows how long. Super cool!

Perhaps the BEST part of the Sinks are the wild Raspberry plants. They were loaded this year and SOOOO tasty!

Ellie really enjoyed the sinks because David took her by the waterfall & let her splash her hands in the water. It was super cute, & I believe my sister in-law has some pictures.

After we had our fill of picking Raspberries, we hiked back up to where all the cars were parked & had a picnic. We made a fire, roasted hot dogs & ate LOTS and LOTS of tasty food. The children played & the adults visited & told stories. It was a lot of fun and I love spending time in the beautiful outdoors! I especially loved this outing because it could be my last labor day spent with my family at Pole Creek & the Sinks, since we're not sure where we'll be moving in May!

Tyra & Ellie playing

The only bad part was that my mom was stuck on crutches & couldn't get up and walk around. But, that's another story...

More pictures to come when I get them from other people!

8 months

Ellie turned 8 months old a week ago, and she is getting to be such a big girl! Since we were in NY when she turned 6 months old, we had her 6 month appointment when we got back, & she's super healthy & growing well! Her head has finally decided to grow & catch up to the rest of her body. ha ha!

She weighed 17 lbs 9 oz and was in the 46th percentile for weight, she's 26 1/2 inches tall (I think?? I misplaced the paper with her measurements on them!) & is 64th for height and her head is in the 42nd percentile!

She had to get 3 shots when we went in, and she was NOT happy about them! She cried a lot, but calmed down not too long after. Because she's such a healthy little girl and because she was almost 8 months when we went in, the doctor doesn't need to see us back until she's 1! That's some good news for us :)

Ellie's really funny lately & her little personality is shining through more and more each day. She's starting to stand on her own for small periods of time (AHH ALREADY!?!?!?) and I'm sure she'll be walking before we know it! She eats pretty well during the day, but sometimes is just too distracted for nursing & I've contemplated quitting, but then I just don't want to give up quite yet.

Here are more things about Ellie at 8 months old:

• She loves to eat finger foods & thinks it's lots of fun to drink from our Camelbak water bottles.
• She loves her oatmeal in the morning & pretty much all baby food we still give her. She's eating more table food now though & she likes it a lot.
  
• She's wearing size 3 diapers & some 3-6 month & 6-9 month clothes. There are only a few outfits in the 3-6 month range that still fit her so we're just about ready to put them away.
• She is starting to walk along the furniture & she can get around pretty fast.
• She knows how to say dada & is just learning how to say "uh oh" but it usually comes out as "uh uh".
• She gets super excited about her 3 little duck bath toys & takes them with her all over.
• She likes to dance to music & likes to watch Fantasia.
• Outside is her favorite place to be.
• She LOVES animals. She was obsessed with my sister in law's little dog, Annie & chased it all over while we were visiting my parents last weekend.
• She doesn't have any teeth yet, and it doesn't seem like she's going to have any in the near future.
• She takes 2-3 naps during the day & goes to bed around 8 & wakes up at 7 a.m.
• She's still waking up 1-2 times a night, but we're working on that one...
• She loves to crawl into the bathroom and stand next to the bathtub & hit her hands on the sides of it to make noise.
• When she gets tired, she gets super silly & likes to ram her head into your chest & cuddle.
• She loves to play with other little kids & thinks they're hilarious.
• She likes to pretend she's a big girl & would rather sit in a booster seat than a high chair to eat!
• She loves to sit and listen to us read books with her & sing to her.

She's growing up so fast & I can't believe that she'll be one in just 4 months! Ah! That's crazy! We love her to death & she makes life fun and interesting every day!

Seven Months Old

Where do I even begin? Our little Ellie is getting to be such a big girl & I can't believe it's been 7 months since we welcomed her into our lives! She's learning to do SO many new things and she thinks she's a big girl. This past month we've been able to do so many amazing things and have some fun experiences with Ellie. Even though she won't remember them, it will be fun to tell her all about our summer in New York when she grows up!

Here's some things about Ellie at Seven Months:

• She LOVES attention
• Loves to crawl, sit, crawl and sit in circles. So funny. I'll have to try to get it on video soon.
• She loves to pull herself up on the couch, chair legs, or anything she can get a hold of and just stand there.
• She's wearing some 3-6 month clothes and 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers
• She is getting really good at saying "Dada"
• She throws fits like nobody's business
• She can drink out of a sippy with help
• She likes to feed herself the little gerber puffs
  
• She's tried just about every veggie and fruit of baby food they make and loves pretty much all of them.
• She's sleeping through the night about 2-3 times a week, but she hasn't been going to bed until 9 or 10 at night, which is no fun
• She takes 2 naps a day
• She LOVES to hold/hug/eat her Teddy Bear we bought her from F.A.O Schwarz.
• She is learning how to play peek-a-boo and take my hands off my eyes for me
• She loves to pinch (OUCH!) and grab my hair & her hair
• She loves to watch TV (I know, so terrible...but she gets SUPER mad if you won't let her watch whatever show is on)
• She is learning the concept of walking with help & is going to be a lot of trouble in a couple months!
• Doesn't get sunburned. The lucky child got David's skin not mine!
  

Ellie is such a happy baby most of the time and she's lots of fun! We love her to death and we love watching her grow up. It's so fun to see her little personality shine through and see how she's like David and me so much.

Hilarious mid laugh picture

Blessed

As we are getting ready to leave the beautiful state of New York, I'm feeling so overwhelmed and blessed for the opportunity to have been here. I have so many mixed feelings about leaving. I love it here, I really do...now.

At first I had a hard time here, and I didn't know that I would love it. I felt like I had to call family every day just to make it through a day because I felt lonely. I didn't want to let myself like it here. I tried to keep myself from liking it by finding things wrong with it like the fact that the roads are too skinny, that driving everywhere is a pain, that things cost a little more here and that people are not nice, it's too humid, it's too hot, I have no family here, I don't have lots of friends here like in Utah and so on.

But then one day, I decided that I would just let those negative feelings go and open my mind to New York. I let it into my heart and well, it grew on me, and now I don't want to leave. I love the green all around. I love the people in the ward here, I love being so close to so many historic cities and in a historic part of the United States. It's cool to be here. I like being in a place where I can have more missionary experiences than in UT.

I have made some awesome friends here, and even though I haven't been able to do a lot of things with those friends during our short stay here, I feel like I could ask them for anything, and that they would help me out no matter what. I don't want to leave those friends behind. I'm having a hard time knowing that I'll most likely never see any of them again, and that makes me very sad, because I really love them all.

Now, I don't know if we'll be back to NY or not. It's one of our "options" but there's no telling until we see what else is out there for us. I would love to come back to NY even though I'd have a really hard time being away from all my family almost all of the time. But, we will go where we're supposed to go, and I'm not sure where that is yet.

So, thank you New York & people of New York, for giving my little family a great opportunity to meet some amazing people, see amazing parts of the country & historic places and for a fun summer of entirely new things.

I'll remember it forever & NY will always have a special place in my heart.

Trip to DC in photos

Over the 4th weekend, we went to DC, stayed with my cousin in Fredericksburg, VA. It was a blast, but I'm telling our story in pictures!

In a tunnel under water!

Making a stop in Delaware

David wanted a picture with George Washington

Awesome car

The original RUBY SLIPPERS from the Wizard of Oz! Cool!

SUPER awesome Sapphires!

David wanted a picture with "Cera" from the Land Before Time. ha ha

My favorite Dinosaur

World War II Memorial

Family pic at the Washington Memorial

We even made it back to Waterford in time for the fireworks!

Great weekend! Lots of fun & neat things to see! Thanks to Melanie and Travis for letting us stay with you and catch up!