Things learned from a weekend with boys

This past weekend we watched four of my cousins. It was a lot of fun but a lot different than just having one little one to watch and take care of. The youngest boy is only a few months older than Avalin. He is really cute but a lot bigger than her. I was hoping that Avalin would learn to walk from his example. She did take seven steps but that was only once and then she was done. Even though she didn't learn to walk she did learn some other tricks from the boys. She learned that balls could be thrown not just rolled. Also she learned how to do stairs. Luckily she goes backward so she does not scare me but it was a lot of fun to see her go up and down and up and down. Also she learned the importance of a new word, ME! Now she will just repeatedly say me me me me when she is not getting the attention she desires. Other than all of the fun things that Avalin learned over a fun weekend with the boys she also learned somewhere along to pick her nose. :(

Things I no longer need

Having a child causes more chores for a mom. There are however other chores that it may eliminated. Firstly I have no need to shred paper any longer. Any piece of paper that lands with in reach of my daughter can easily be ripped up and strewn about my apartment. Another chore that I don't have to do is feed the dog. Plenty of food is dropped on the ground throughout the kitchen and living room. There is also a bonus in that most of the time it is broken into small pieces. The only problem with this is we do not have a dog. Or any animal, so vacuuming has definitely gone up.

Over all the fun of having a baby who keeps growing up and developing out weighs any negatives. She is so great and even though she knows how to make a mess, she also knows how to make me smile.

Rain to Snow

It has been a long time but I am going to try and be more consistent in writing. So to catch up my baby is 1. It is so fun. She talks and cruises all over. She is so close to walking but is so strong willed not to that she hasn't yet. At least not with out chocolate and mom kneeling in front of her. On her first birthday she was so happy and pleasant, as she usually is. On top of that she had the perfect reaction when opening gifts. All of her grandparents and great grandparents loved her ooooos and ahhhs and the kisses she gave to all of her gifts. Dannon and I gave her mostly clothes and a pair of shoes which unsurprisingly were not as big of a hit as the balls, dolls and stuffed animal that she loves to tote around.

After the birthday fun ended it felt like Christmas was right upon us. We enjoyed Christmas a lot. We were able to spend time with both sides of our extended family. We went to my mom's for Christmas morning and it was fun. My brothers are so fun with A and she loves them. She gets so excited to play with them and enjoyed being tickled and wrestled and unwrapping presents Christmas morning.

Last weekend we went with Dannon's family to Bear Lake. Nik and Jen and Dannon's Parents all came. We had Christmas morning with them and exchanged gifts. I had been working on a cross stitch for Dannon's mom for months. I was worried that maybe she wouldn't like it. When she opened it she looked so thrilled and it made all the hours I had put into it totally worth it.

Today has been a crazy day weather wise. It rained all morning and is snowing all afternoon. I guess I won't complain because its January and snow should be covering the ground. Until next time I hope you find some love in your land.

Shots

I love being a mom more than I ever imagined. I love soothing my sweet baby when she cries and doing all the everyday things moms do. There is one small thing that I do not like..... and that is shots. On Monday Miss A had her four month appointment which was accompanied by shots. The look of terror in her eyes just made me sad however I think that she was less affected then me. I may be wrong but even though she did cry for a little bit it didn't last to long.

This week has been a great one as has this month. Next week Dannon will finish his second semester of his grad-degree. I am so excited for him and he is doing really well. We had an awesome Easter and realized another perk of having a cute baby, her Easter candy is our Easter candy. Lastly we are excited that Dannon's brother Nik and his wife Jen will be moving to North Logan. It will be great to have family closer!

Spitting is for Camels.... and Miss Ava

From the second Avalin was born she loved her tongue. There was no crying coming out of her mouth when the nurse handed her to me but a little tongue was sticking out then in then out again. Luckily she is cute so no one takes her, what could be interpreted as rude behavior, seriously. Lately her tongue has been accompanied by spit bubbles, smiles and giggles. Good things come from my baby's mouth.

During general conference I heard, among other things, to be like a little child. When I heard this I see Miss Ava sticking her tongue out and spitting then smiling and making cute noises to her self and all those around her. I want to be more like her and smile at all of those that smile at me even when I am crying or sad, as Avalin tries to do all the time. I want to say happy, nice things that make people smile. I want to make good things come from my mouth too. So I am going to speak kinder and smile more and try to be more like my little one.

Kids really do grow up fast

Even though our little sweetheart is only three months old she has seemed to grow up a lot. She is already smiling, laughing, and rolled over. She has also has grown out of her 0-3 month clothes which is all good because now she gets to wear her cute 3-6 month clothes. Being the mom of a girl is so much fun. There are a lot of cute girl clothes. And I am only a little jealous that she gets to change her wardrobe so often although I am glad I am not getting bigger causing me to have to get new clothes every three months.

Otherwise in our life things are going well. Dannon is doing great at his new job and he is also enjoying school. I really enjoy hearing about his vision for his career in the future. Also my grandparents just got back from their mission to the south Pacific islands and my mom just got back from europe. Even if I have only traveled to our neighboring countries, my close family is really turning into world travelers.

A Little Loveland

There are few decisions in life that immediately completely change your life. All choices do make a difference in our futures however some make a bigger difference then others. So to know when one of these events happen that it was wonderful choice and at the same time becomes so rewarding is really fantastic. That is what having a child has done for me. My sweet baby girl defines my days and nights with her time schedule, she more then doubles my laundry, and uses a majority of my time. However there isn't a moment that I wouldn't love a snuggle from her, to see her smile, or to simply know that I was helping her grow and be happy.