Sunday, August 22, 2010

Missouri

July 26 - August 12
This summer we got to have fun in Missouri with more of the family!

Elsa did such a good job on the planes. She had no problems with her ears popping and we would have had no problems if our second flight wasn't an hour delayed. I tried to plan the best schedule I could for her and everything would have worked out great but the delay messed it up a bit. She fussed/cried a little at the beginning and then calmed down and fell asleep. When we landed she woke up and gave everyone that could see a great big smile. Then of course nobody could be upset with her.
When we got off the plane and we had the biggest loudest and best welcome home cheer from Grandma Dee and two of my sisters Micah and Tyre!!
Everyone was so happy to see us... well Elsa anyways!

One of the first things we got to do was drive by the Temple site.
I can already imagine it against the pretty blue sky.

Elsa got so much attention from everybody,
especially her cousins Anna and Adiline.

Anna was so loving towards Elsa all the time. She always wanted to play with her. She was so helpful. Anna and Adiline both got pinkeye while we were there, one right after the other. As much as they wanted to play with Elsa they were so good about not getting too close with their boogie eyes. Good enough Elsa didn't catch it!
Elsa got so many kisses from her Anna.

Anna even shared her dress up jewelry.
So Pretty!

Taking baths at Grandma's was fun,
even though she didn't fit in the sink very well.

Grandma DEE !!
My mother is one of my favorite people to play with and we got to play a lot! We went antique shopping, our favorite thing to do!! I remember when I was a kid and my mother would drag us from antique store to antique store and I hated it, now It's one of my favorite past times! It's so fun to go with my mom and my sisters, more eyes to find treasures!
Thanks mommie for everything you did for us!!

Auntie Micah!
For the first week every time Micah would hold Elsa, Elsa would start crying. Just coincidence of course. Elsa loves her Micah! Micah was so wonderful and ventured out everyday to play with us!

Water balloon fight!
It was so hot in Missouri!
It gets hot in Utah but nothing like Missouri, I do not miss the humidity at all.

Elsa remembers Auntie Neesha when she got to snuggle with her when she was just 2 weeks old and was so excited to see her again. Elsa got to meet her "cousins" Meela and Meeshie. They were so soft and furry. They reminded her of her papa.


One day we went to visit Auntie Neesha and Uncle Kyle in Lawrence. They took us to this house that had ZEBRAS in their front yard.


This is the house that had the zebras.
If you can afford zebras I guess you can afford a house like this.
Silly Aunt T-T
or should I say Scary Aunt T-T
We loved playing with Tyre everyday!!

Uncle Evan... gracious enough to take the left over seat... the trunk.

Evan and Tyre were in competition as to who would win the heart of Elsa and be the favorite Aunt or Uncle.... they both captured her heart.


Elsa got to go swimming for the first time...and second and third.


It didn't phase her at all. She just chilled the whole time. The only time she didn't like it was when we went in the middle of the day and it was so sunny. Even with a hat you couldn't keep it out of her eyes.




She got worn out. Too much fun in one day.

Elsa also had her first babysitters!
My sisters, some girlfriends and I went out for an evening and
Uncle Matt and cousin Anna took care of Elsa.

The last weekend we were in Missouri Uncle Corban, Aunt Teneill and cousin Pepper were out to visit so we decided to get some pictures with the girls!




All we needed was Uncle Dalin and Papa Blake to complete the picture.

Playing with fun toys!

So much fun being with everyone!


We went to Lawson and visited Aunt Tiffany, Uncle Adam and cousins Alexis, Brayden, Chloe and Bella!
I could not believe it, Chloe ate a whole fudgesicle! One huge bite at a time! I promise, 7 bites and it was gone!


Lexie is a little obsessed with the chipettes. She was having fun pretending that Elsa and the twins were the chipettes as she repeated their songs, over and over again.

Lexie and Brayden also put on a play for us. Lexie was Brittany(chipette) and Brayden was Alvin(chipmunk). Brayden was such a good sport, even though he didn't dance as much as she wanted him to.
I can't believe how much the 4 of them have grown up.
Lexie is so kind and such a drama queen (in a theatrically good way), Brayden is such a stud, cooler than the flip side of my pillow. The twins aren't the 4 lbs I remember them being but are even cuter.

We were so excited we got to attend Candi's baby shower for little Sawyer. Candi is one of the cutest pregnant woman I have ever seen. She beams, you could definitely tell they were excited and we know they are going to be great parents.We were a little sad that we missed Sawyer's arrival by just a couple days, but are happy we got to play with his mommy and daddy.



Baby Duncan or Big Brother Duncan
It was so nice to visit him. Sometimes life is so crazy that I feel so far away from him, in those moments I take a time out and stare at his picture and remember that we will only be apart for a short time. Its been interesting to see Elsa grow so big but still to have the feeling that I still have a little tiny baby waiting for me. I definitely can't imagine him being almost 2 years old, that's just crazy!

Elsa on the way home!
We had such a wonderful trip but we were ready to see our papa after 3 weeks of missing him.

Thanks Micah for helping me "arrange" my luggage for the flight home!
I'm still laughing about it!!

It was so wonderful visiting and playing with everyone!
We love you all soo much!!
XOXOXOXO

Friday, August 13, 2010

Five Months


Time is flying by!
I almost don't like blogging anymore because it usually means its been another month.

3 out of the last 4 weeks have been in Missouri visiting family!!
I'll write more about our trip later, for now we'll highlight Elsa's five months!!

Elsa is growing so much! Her last check up she was 13 lbs and 26 inches long. The nurses and doctor were surprised how long she had grown, she was on the average track for her height but is now in the 95 percentile. Blake is excited and hoping she'll be tall like her papa, maybe she'll school him at basketball one day.

It's been so fun to watch her learn how to use her hands. Always grabbing at something or putting something in her mouth. Who knew fingers could taste so good, especially her thumb. She prefers it over her pacifier now. We are happy we wont have to turn the house upside down to look for it. Although we are pretty proud we've hung on to the original pacifier for the last 5 months.



Elsa keeps practicing her rolling skills. I don't know if we can claim that she has rolled over front to back by herself, only with a pretucked arm. She's pretty good at rolling from side to side on her back and can get herself spun around pretty quick. I'm convinced that she could roll to her tummy if she wanted but i don't think she would voluntarily.


For the most part Elsa is a good sleeper. At night she'll sleep for 8 hours, eat, then sleep for 4 more hours. Nap times are the hardest. She normally will take a good 3 hour nap in the middle of the day but with all the traveling and new places it keeps changing. So now that we are back home we are trying to get back into a routine that will keep her happy!


Life with Elsa is such a joy! I don't think Blake or I can imagine what is was like without her. She keeps us entertained all day with her smiles and giggles. After meeting Blake I thought I knew what love was but I never could imagine the love that would fill our home and our hearts with each special child.
I love being a mom!