We had so much fun on our trip to Utah for Thanksgiving and to celebrate my grandparents' 50th anniversary. Read about our trip by clicking these links:
Day (or really night) One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
It was so wonderful to see so much family, and SO fun watching them meet our little girl. We love you all and can't wait to see you next time!
ttfn,
life&lemons
P.S.
So far, days one and two are done. These links will still take you to the right pages, but days three through six will be updated over the next few days. Thanks for your patience!
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Christmas Beads - Follow Up
A few days ago I posted about the Christmas beads (here). Well, my mom found a picture of me playing with those beads when I was about 8 months old...
We do look alike, don't we? :)
ttfn,
life&lemons
We do look alike, don't we? :)
ttfn,
life&lemons
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Party Preview
I have lots of exciting pics and videos I'm getting ready to post from the last month, including our Thanksgiving trip and Evie's very FIRST birthday party!
Her party was last night, and it went perfectly! I'll leave the rest of the details for the birthday post I'm working on, but I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who sent texts and emails wishing her a happy birthday. And thank you also to everyone who worked so hard to make her birthday perfect. Here is a picture of her at her party to get you by until I finish the post...
I love that little girl! I can't believe she is already one!
ttfn,
life&lemons
Her party was last night, and it went perfectly! I'll leave the rest of the details for the birthday post I'm working on, but I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who sent texts and emails wishing her a happy birthday. And thank you also to everyone who worked so hard to make her birthday perfect. Here is a picture of her at her party to get you by until I finish the post...
I love that little girl! I can't believe she is already one!
ttfn,
life&lemons
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Christmas Beads
Some of you remember this story… When I was just a couple months younger than
Evie is now, my family spent Christmas with my grandparents in Maryland. Grandma
and Grandpa had strings of red beads on their tree which instantly became my
favorite toy while I was there. When it was time to go, each of them pulled my
parents aside and gave them a string of beads for me to keep, so when we got
home we had two! I always loved this story growing up, and I still have those
beads, although most of the red has been rubbed off by years and lots of
love.
Yesterday Evie and I visited her grandma and they were decorating for Christmas. Guess what my little girl found to play with? New shiny red strings of beads! She had so much fun playing with them, and Mom and I shared a moment while we watched this tradition continue. Maybe after Christmas is over she will send my little girl home with some beads of her own.
ttfn,
life&lemons
Yesterday Evie and I visited her grandma and they were decorating for Christmas. Guess what my little girl found to play with? New shiny red strings of beads! She had so much fun playing with them, and Mom and I shared a moment while we watched this tradition continue. Maybe after Christmas is over she will send my little girl home with some beads of her own.
ttfn,
life&lemons
Monday, December 1, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Utah Trip Day Two - Thanksgiving Day
We arrived at the cabin while everyone was still asleep- at least everyone but Sarah who woke up early to let us in. She was joined quickly by Joy and we had a quiet but bouncy reunion. It was fun watching my sisters get so excited to see their only niece, who they hadn’t seen since before she could crawl.
Once everyone else was up there were hugs all around. It had been a while since I’d seen most of my family. My cousins had all grown up so much! It was extra fun watching everyone interact with Evie. She got really good at waving and saying “Hi!” to everyone who came in the room. My aunts and uncles (who have of course been promoted to “Great”) let her play her favorite game- cell phone!
After the last of the family arrived, we all sat down to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner together. After dinner we played games and had fun until Evie decided she was ready for bed.
Scroll down for some pictures from Thursday. You can read about Friday in Day Three’s post.
ttfn,
life&lemons
Playing piano with her Auntie and her Great Uncle
Swinging with her aunt
Playing foosball with the cousins
All dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner in a turkey dress!
Totally LOVING being the center of attention with all the cousins. (They were all really extra amazing with her all weekend. Those are some great kids!)
Serving up Thanksgiving Dinner. (My hubby thanks the Santa Fe crowd for introducing him to putting Hatch green chiles on his, well, everything on his plate, including the stuffing, mashed potatoes, the turkey, and his breakfast eggs the next morning. I hope you guys know you created a monster!)
Watch me go! That girl was on the move all weekend… most of my pictures of her are blurry because she was having too much fun to sit still!
Getting in a little more piano time, first with her Great Uncle and then her Aunt.
One quick ride around the room with Grandpa, and then it’s off to bed!
Once everyone else was up there were hugs all around. It had been a while since I’d seen most of my family. My cousins had all grown up so much! It was extra fun watching everyone interact with Evie. She got really good at waving and saying “Hi!” to everyone who came in the room. My aunts and uncles (who have of course been promoted to “Great”) let her play her favorite game- cell phone!
After the last of the family arrived, we all sat down to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner together. After dinner we played games and had fun until Evie decided she was ready for bed.
Scroll down for some pictures from Thursday. You can read about Friday in Day Three’s post.
ttfn,
life&lemons
Playing piano with her Auntie and her Great Uncle
Swinging with her aunt
Playing foosball with the cousins
All dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner in a turkey dress!
Totally LOVING being the center of attention with all the cousins. (They were all really extra amazing with her all weekend. Those are some great kids!)
Serving up Thanksgiving Dinner. (My hubby thanks the Santa Fe crowd for introducing him to putting Hatch green chiles on his, well, everything on his plate, including the stuffing, mashed potatoes, the turkey, and his breakfast eggs the next morning. I hope you guys know you created a monster!)
Watch me go! That girl was on the move all weekend… most of my pictures of her are blurry because she was having too much fun to sit still!
Getting in a little more piano time, first with her Great Uncle and then her Aunt.
One quick ride around the room with Grandpa, and then it’s off to bed!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Utah Trip Day (or really night) One
We left for our big Utah trip after Daddy got off work (and took a little nap). The plan was to drive during the night so Evie could sleep through the drive. It turned out that this tactic did not work so well…
The rest of the drive was no fun, but it was all worth it when we got to the house and saw the look on her aunties’ faces when they saw her for the first time in months.
Read more about it in the Day Two post.
ttfn,
life&lemons
The rest of the drive was no fun, but it was all worth it when we got to the house and saw the look on her aunties’ faces when they saw her for the first time in months.
Read more about it in the Day Two post.
ttfn,
life&lemons
Friday, October 31, 2014
First Halloween
Happy Halloween!
I hope everyone had fun. We sure did! Evie and I dressed up as Halloween witches (Evie's costume was a candy corn witch) and her Daddy was Clark Kent/Superman. We headed over to our church carnival with a chili cook-off, face painting, games, and of course Trunk-or-Treat. At first Evie wasn't so sure about all the strange-looking costumed people running around, but after a while she really got into it. She let us get her face painted, and she LOVED the glow stick she won. When we started trick-or-treating she didn't get why I wanted her to hold the pumpkin, but after she watched a couple people drop in candy, you couldn't get her to let go! I'm so glad she enjoyed her first Halloween. I sure had a lot of fun doing everything with her!
I hope everyone had fun. We sure did! Evie and I dressed up as Halloween witches (Evie's costume was a candy corn witch) and her Daddy was Clark Kent/Superman. We headed over to our church carnival with a chili cook-off, face painting, games, and of course Trunk-or-Treat. At first Evie wasn't so sure about all the strange-looking costumed people running around, but after a while she really got into it. She let us get her face painted, and she LOVED the glow stick she won. When we started trick-or-treating she didn't get why I wanted her to hold the pumpkin, but after she watched a couple people drop in candy, you couldn't get her to let go! I'm so glad she enjoyed her first Halloween. I sure had a lot of fun doing everything with her!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Happy Birthday, Grandma!
I didn't take as many pictures as I thought at Grandma's birthday party. Sorry about that!
Here is the silly cake I made her, inspired by the peanut butter and jelly ice cream she liked at Baskin Robbins:
And here is a cute picture of Grandma with Evie:
Love you, Mom! Happy Birthday!
Here is the silly cake I made her, inspired by the peanut butter and jelly ice cream she liked at Baskin Robbins:
And here is a cute picture of Grandma with Evie:
Love you, Mom! Happy Birthday!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Standing up
First, hi! Look how big she is getting! (And so beautiful!)
Anyway, just a quick note today- nothing fancy. I just realized that we’ve been “playing” at standing up for a little while now, and I haven’t even told some of you about her new trick! So, excuse the messy room and the un-edited video. I just wanted to share and didn’t have time today to make it pretty!
So.. an update on standing. She regularly lets go of her support here and there while playing (if you watch close you will see her do that with her music table) and she’s getting really good at our “game”. She usually laughs when I let go and she realizes she’s standing alone. Believe it or not, this was actually a short time for her- I’ve counted more than a minute of free-standing!
Just some comments…
Like I said, this was an impromptu video, so please excuse the mess. I’m working on packing for our move, and the play area has been pretty low on my cleaning priority list. Also excuse the unedited video, especially the part where I’m looking for a spot to set the camera. I sure got lucky with that camera angle!
An explanation for the “no dada” bit. You don’t hear it, but before the video she would say “dada” and I would tell her “Dada isn’t home. He is at work.” Actually, she’s being saying “dada” all day every day for a couple weeks now. She even seems to know who dada is! Mama is feeling a little jealous. She might have said Mama first, but I haven’t heard that word for a month now! In fact, the more I try to get her to say “mama” the more she just says “dada”. Trent is starting to feel for me and even tried to help me a couple nights ago. But, and I’m not kidding, when he said “ma ma ma ma ma ma”, she would respond with “da da da da da da”! She would copy the number and rhythm (smart girl) but switch mama to dada every time! I think she’s toying with me on purpose…
ttfn,
life&lemons
Anyway, just a quick note today- nothing fancy. I just realized that we’ve been “playing” at standing up for a little while now, and I haven’t even told some of you about her new trick! So, excuse the messy room and the un-edited video. I just wanted to share and didn’t have time today to make it pretty!
So.. an update on standing. She regularly lets go of her support here and there while playing (if you watch close you will see her do that with her music table) and she’s getting really good at our “game”. She usually laughs when I let go and she realizes she’s standing alone. Believe it or not, this was actually a short time for her- I’ve counted more than a minute of free-standing!
Just some comments…
Like I said, this was an impromptu video, so please excuse the mess. I’m working on packing for our move, and the play area has been pretty low on my cleaning priority list. Also excuse the unedited video, especially the part where I’m looking for a spot to set the camera. I sure got lucky with that camera angle!
An explanation for the “no dada” bit. You don’t hear it, but before the video she would say “dada” and I would tell her “Dada isn’t home. He is at work.” Actually, she’s being saying “dada” all day every day for a couple weeks now. She even seems to know who dada is! Mama is feeling a little jealous. She might have said Mama first, but I haven’t heard that word for a month now! In fact, the more I try to get her to say “mama” the more she just says “dada”. Trent is starting to feel for me and even tried to help me a couple nights ago. But, and I’m not kidding, when he said “ma ma ma ma ma ma”, she would respond with “da da da da da da”! She would copy the number and rhythm (smart girl) but switch mama to dada every time! I think she’s toying with me on purpose…
ttfn,
life&lemons
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Laundry Day
Today we did laundry together. Mama messed up and waited until ALL of Genevieve’s clothes were dirty, so there was nothing for her to wear! She ended up in her ladybug socks, her diaper, and a tutu with pigtails and a big bow on her head while her laundry was in the wash.
Too cute! (Next time I’ll remember to do laundry when there is still a clean outfit for while it’s running!) She had lots of fun helping mommy sort the laundry; we sat in the middle of the floor together, and as I was sorting it into piles she picked things up and sorted them out of piles. But she was so cute I didn’t mind.
She is getting so smart! We recently turned the family room into basically one big playpen. The room is baby-proof and full of toys, and the big “L” couch and side table mostly closes it in. We used a heavy plastic tote of clothes to finish blocking the opening. When she decides she is done playing on her own, she will stand at the plastic tote and yell. Well, yesterday I came over and found that she had dragged one of her big toys over to the tote and was standing on it and trying to climb onto the tote and escape! …I’m in trouble!
We’ve been hearing lots of new babbling sounds lately. Every day she is playing with a new syllable. Today has been a lot of “b” sounds. Yesterday I heard “V” and “L” several times- I choose to believe she was trying to say “I love you”. J We’ve heard “dada” off and on this week, which makes her daddy happy. “Mama” usually doesn’t show up until she is tired or hungry (so maybe she does know what it means!)
She has also gotten pretty good at waving when you wave to her, and she has started experimenting with letting go when she is standing up. With her front four teeth pretty far in she has become an expert at picking up a soup cracker between her pinching fingers and then carefully taking a bite. Her new sippy cup (the “360 Miracle” that you drink out of like a normal cup but doesn’t spill) really was a big hit. She figured it out right away and got so excited! She drinks out of it so well she can pick it up and drink all by herself.
She is still a super happy little soul. She loves to laugh and squeal and giggle and play. She loves tickle time (when she is in the mood) and is even a little more into hugs and snuggles than before (she was always too busy trying to move and be upright to have patience for being cradled.) She always gets happy when we pray out loud with her, and usually lets out a little squeal or giggle. She loves people and will share big smiles with everyone, even new people. She loves going to church and watching all the little kids in our primary class. She especially loves singing time and sometimes tries to join in.
That little girl lights up my world and I couldn’t love her more. Sometimes she is just WAY TOO cute and I wish there was a way I could save it and package it up and share it. I love you, sweetie!
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
Too cute! (Next time I’ll remember to do laundry when there is still a clean outfit for while it’s running!) She had lots of fun helping mommy sort the laundry; we sat in the middle of the floor together, and as I was sorting it into piles she picked things up and sorted them out of piles. But she was so cute I didn’t mind.
She is getting so smart! We recently turned the family room into basically one big playpen. The room is baby-proof and full of toys, and the big “L” couch and side table mostly closes it in. We used a heavy plastic tote of clothes to finish blocking the opening. When she decides she is done playing on her own, she will stand at the plastic tote and yell. Well, yesterday I came over and found that she had dragged one of her big toys over to the tote and was standing on it and trying to climb onto the tote and escape! …I’m in trouble!
We’ve been hearing lots of new babbling sounds lately. Every day she is playing with a new syllable. Today has been a lot of “b” sounds. Yesterday I heard “V” and “L” several times- I choose to believe she was trying to say “I love you”. J We’ve heard “dada” off and on this week, which makes her daddy happy. “Mama” usually doesn’t show up until she is tired or hungry (so maybe she does know what it means!)
She has also gotten pretty good at waving when you wave to her, and she has started experimenting with letting go when she is standing up. With her front four teeth pretty far in she has become an expert at picking up a soup cracker between her pinching fingers and then carefully taking a bite. Her new sippy cup (the “360 Miracle” that you drink out of like a normal cup but doesn’t spill) really was a big hit. She figured it out right away and got so excited! She drinks out of it so well she can pick it up and drink all by herself.
She is still a super happy little soul. She loves to laugh and squeal and giggle and play. She loves tickle time (when she is in the mood) and is even a little more into hugs and snuggles than before (she was always too busy trying to move and be upright to have patience for being cradled.) She always gets happy when we pray out loud with her, and usually lets out a little squeal or giggle. She loves people and will share big smiles with everyone, even new people. She loves going to church and watching all the little kids in our primary class. She especially loves singing time and sometimes tries to join in.
That little girl lights up my world and I couldn’t love her more. Sometimes she is just WAY TOO cute and I wish there was a way I could save it and package it up and share it. I love you, sweetie!
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
Friday, July 18, 2014
Crazy thing called life
We've been having some adventures lately. I'm excited (knock on wood!) for things to settle back into a little more normal of a routine and for me to get back to things like laundry and blogging!
I've got some cute pictures coming, and a couple that will blow you away when you see how BIG that little girl is! But a quick update: she now officially has TWO teeth. The other front bottom tooth broke through a couple days ago. She is a pro at crawling and is getting really good at manipulating things in her hands. And... she is easily pulling herself to standing and can take one hand off to play with something. When you hold her hands she can walk (shakily) toward you. This girl is determined to be up and running around as fast as she can!
Here is a super cute pic to tide you over until I get everything uploaded:
Don't you just love how she posed for the camera! It makes a nice change from all my blurry moving pictures! (This is actually from 3 weeks ago. She fills up that car seat even more now, and her hair is even longer!)
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
I've got some cute pictures coming, and a couple that will blow you away when you see how BIG that little girl is! But a quick update: she now officially has TWO teeth. The other front bottom tooth broke through a couple days ago. She is a pro at crawling and is getting really good at manipulating things in her hands. And... she is easily pulling herself to standing and can take one hand off to play with something. When you hold her hands she can walk (shakily) toward you. This girl is determined to be up and running around as fast as she can!
Here is a super cute pic to tide you over until I get everything uploaded:
Don't you just love how she posed for the camera! It makes a nice change from all my blurry moving pictures! (This is actually from 3 weeks ago. She fills up that car seat even more now, and her hair is even longer!)
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Take your Daughter to work…
So, I am VERY blessed in my job. I’m working part time (well, a little less than part time, really) as a paralegal and I get to do it from home. How much more perfect could that be for a new mom? Of course, there are those times when I’m reaching a deadline, I need to get a case finished and submitted for filing, and my little angel can’t stop pushing keys “just like mommy”. (I love her!) Today I got a little desperate and down to the wire, so I resorted to extreme measures…
When she won’t play on her own anymore, I often put her on my lap with a toy and tighten my sling carrier around the two of us so I don’t have to work as hard to keep her from falling (or flying) off my lap. Well, I was getting a little desperate to get this case turned in, and I happened to look over at the other desk chair, and…
Hey, no judgment… it worked! Well, for a while anyway. I of course was still checking on her every 30 seconds to make sure she didn’t get out or get her arms underneath and strangle herself (ah!) and after a while she figured out how to get her feet under her and stand up and then plop down, so we had to try something else. BUT it worked just long enough for me to finish, and she thought it was pretty funny.
When she won’t play on her own anymore, I often put her on my lap with a toy and tighten my sling carrier around the two of us so I don’t have to work as hard to keep her from falling (or flying) off my lap. Well, I was getting a little desperate to get this case turned in, and I happened to look over at the other desk chair, and…
Hey, no judgment… it worked! Well, for a while anyway. I of course was still checking on her every 30 seconds to make sure she didn’t get out or get her arms underneath and strangle herself (ah!) and after a while she figured out how to get her feet under her and stand up and then plop down, so we had to try something else. BUT it worked just long enough for me to finish, and she thought it was pretty funny.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Announcement!
This weekend we made an exciting (if bittersweet) discovery.
Baby's first tooth finally broke through!
I haven't been able to snag a picture yet. I haven't really even seen it very well- she practically lives with her tongue sticking out lately! But you can sure feel it poking out on the bottom left.
We found it Saturday night, and it was already pretty far out. I'm thinking it broke through Friday. You'll remember a little while ago I announced her first time sleeping through the night? Well, I got three of those, and then for a whole week she was waking up practically every hour. :( Well, Friday she was acting particularly fussy, and then she SLEPT almost through the night, and has been sleeping much better since. Hallelujah! Although, this first-time nursing mom is honestly nervous about this whole teeth business... Any advice or thoughts?
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
Baby's first tooth finally broke through!
I haven't been able to snag a picture yet. I haven't really even seen it very well- she practically lives with her tongue sticking out lately! But you can sure feel it poking out on the bottom left.
We found it Saturday night, and it was already pretty far out. I'm thinking it broke through Friday. You'll remember a little while ago I announced her first time sleeping through the night? Well, I got three of those, and then for a whole week she was waking up practically every hour. :( Well, Friday she was acting particularly fussy, and then she SLEPT almost through the night, and has been sleeping much better since. Hallelujah! Although, this first-time nursing mom is honestly nervous about this whole teeth business... Any advice or thoughts?
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
Friday, June 27, 2014
My Big Scare
So, this morning I went in to get Baby, and as I was changing her diaper I saw this and my heart started racing…
The picture isn’t great because I was trying to feed her at that moment, but I didn’t want to wait. I was freaking out a little and needed to text a picture to her daddy at work so I could get his help. I called him right after the text and, now a bit frantic, told him her toe was black! He looked at the picture and I could tell he was trying to sound calm as he asked me if she was acting like it hurt. I said, “Not really,” and he told me to try squeezing it gently. She didn’t even react, so he told me to put my thumb on the nail and gently squeeze again. When I did, my thumb nail sank into the black a little, and I realized…
it was chocolate!
Now, I promise I really do bathe my child. But last night, after bath time, I made brownies. I must have gotten some batter on her toe…
Boy did I feel sheepish. I let out a shaky and relieved laugh, tried to get my heart rate back to normal, and apologized to her daddy for scaring him.
Have you ever had an experience like this, or am I the only one?
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
The picture isn’t great because I was trying to feed her at that moment, but I didn’t want to wait. I was freaking out a little and needed to text a picture to her daddy at work so I could get his help. I called him right after the text and, now a bit frantic, told him her toe was black! He looked at the picture and I could tell he was trying to sound calm as he asked me if she was acting like it hurt. I said, “Not really,” and he told me to try squeezing it gently. She didn’t even react, so he told me to put my thumb on the nail and gently squeeze again. When I did, my thumb nail sank into the black a little, and I realized…
it was chocolate!
Now, I promise I really do bathe my child. But last night, after bath time, I made brownies. I must have gotten some batter on her toe…
Boy did I feel sheepish. I let out a shaky and relieved laugh, tried to get my heart rate back to normal, and apologized to her daddy for scaring him.
Have you ever had an experience like this, or am I the only one?
ttfn,
Life&Lemons
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