Happy First Baby Girl

I blinked and now she is one.

I can't believe it really, I mean I believe she is one, but I can't believe how quickly this year went by. I have a whole list of shoulda coulda woulda's with this girl. I tried with all my might to keep up with all the changes and the growing, because I was going to be better than how I was with Axel. That's what I told myself anyway, but wouldn't you know it, I failed miserably and got even worse! I guess it just comes with the territory of having multiple children. 

A year ago today, I met this girl for the first time, and she has been bringing joy, excitement, and laughter to my life ever since.


She came at a rough time in our lives, I feel like my pregnancy with her was crazy hard. Hard physically, but also hard emotionally because our family life was kinda hectic, and so was my mind. Hormones are NOT my friend folks. But the day she came into our lives, it just got better, and better.
She brought balance (a little less sleep mind you) But balance none the less. We went from being a couple with a baby, to a family. Complete with a Dad, Mom, big brother and baby sister.

I have SO enjoyed getting to know her this year, and I am excited to see what kinda girl she turns out to be in the years to come.

Earlier this week I had lunch with my mom at the hospital where she was born because my dad was having surgery, and I parked on the same side all the new parents park when having their babies. I watched about a half dozen families that day walk out of the hospital with their new little bundles, mom in wheel chair, dad carrying flowers, gift bags, and luggage, and I am not gonna lie, I kinda got teary eyed. I was flooded with nostalgia of the day we brought her home.  It goes by so fast! But it really does feel like yesterday. I remember with Axel we were scared, like "are you sure we can take him home and he will live?" kind of scared.  But with her, we were confident and excited to get her home and be a part of our family. She adjusted so quickly to our routine, and family. 

She was our super sleeper, oh how she is SUCH a great sleeper. I remember at first we were confused because she didn't want us to rock, nurse or cuddle her to sleep like her brother. She fought us on that like you wouldn't believe, and then we would put her in her crib bewildered, like what do we do now, and the next thing we knew she was asleep, and she is still that way.
 
Even though she is now a "toddler" she is still my baby girl. She is such a petite thing. She has more spunk and sass than any one year old I have ever met.
The minute she hears music she can't resist the urge to sing and dance. We get such a kick out of her when she tries to sing along with songs. Today in fact she said "do the twist" and shook her little head and swung her arms. It was one of the moments that you just about die as a parent. If you could bottle up that moment and keep it forever you would. But like all things, the moment was fleeting and gone, and all I have is the memory of it.

She loves to read books, and points to all the pictures saying "what's this"and will imitate the animal sounds and give babies kisses :)

When I asked Kory what I should include in this post he reminded me of something he said to describe our kids:

"Both our kids love rules, Axel loves to follow them, and Dani loves to break them"

And although it appears that she is rebellious, I think she just likes things her way, and if you try to stop her, she will fight you tooth and nail to do what she wants. ok sure, I guess that is rebellious, but I like to call it strong willed :)

But baby girl we are so happy you came into this world, and picked us to be your family. We couldn't have asked for a sweeter, spunkier, lovelier daughter, and we are so glad to have you a part of our lives. May the next year be full of just as much fun, growth and so much!

Love you baby girl!

 More on her birthday week coming soon! 

 

Easter

We had a fantastic Easter!

A 5k Egg Hunt

A week or two before Easter our stake did an Easter Egg Hunt 5k. I had every intention of getting up and running the 5k...but then I slept in. So we just got up and went to the breakfast, and did the Easter Egg hunt, and Axel did the kids 5k.

He was SO funny he got on all fours in a good running stance and when they said go, ran his little heart out, even though he was in jammies and snow boots! But then the race went around the play ground and decided he was done with the race, and just wanted to play

He and Dani both loved getting their little eggs in the hunt. :)
 



Didn't even wait for the hunt to be over to start digging in....


Then we played on the playground. Axel was a bit worried the other kids were going to get his basket, so he finished his candy off, just in case.

We gave Axel Dani's candy, she was just happy to have the egg, and carried it with her on the playground. She loves the swings and slide!

 

Neighborhood Easter Egg hunt

A couple of days before Easter we had the neighborhood over for a picnic/ Easter Egg hunt.
Everyone brought a sack lunch and Easter eggs to add to the hunt. 

We had a really good turn out, it was super fun! It was nice because everyone just did their own part. I wasn't up for doing a big production, because I was in the middle of the planner orders, so it was just perfect.


Axel had SO much fun and enjoyed playing with all his friends and eating most of the candy all that same day. I tried to put it up and he got very defensive and said "Mom it is NOT potty Candy it is EASTER EGG!" ha. So I backed off, he earned that candy fair and share, and he WAS NOT going to go potty to get this candy...

Easter Morning

I wish I could say that I made our Easter about what it was really about, but I didn't. I was so preoccupied this year with getting our planners out, that Easter was pretty much about the baskets...

But our kids loved their baskets! Here are some pictures from that day...

 

 This is Dani in her Easter Dress! Remember Axel's first Easter and I took a picture of him on this chair? She is a few months older I think 3, but she was ALL over the place.

That afternoon we went to my moms for a BBQ and Axel got a a chance to fly his new kite in "windy City" (cause eagle mountain is always windy...) This was the first time he got to fly a kite, and he LOVED it! He had such a blast! It was so cute to see him run excitedly down the yard!

To be caught up

 I have every desire to be caught up on my blog...

I have sooo many posts to write but feel like I have to keep them in order or else that event will be forgotten, or lost, as this is the only way I take any sort of record of my family and it's progress, and it seems like even this has taken the back burner to other activities.

And if you really hate these updates feel free to come back some other time but this is the MOTHERLOAD of updates....

Dani...

Oh this girl kills me, and keeps me on my toes constantly. Her determination to grow up is just soo fascinating and frustrating too. I would like her to stay my baby for at least the first year. But already before her first birthday she is quite independent and mobile.

She is quite the chatterbox as well and can say a whole slew of words already! She has our family down, Mama, Dad, Axel, Celeste, Zoe and Dani. She can say  No no no, this, that, mmmm, and ahhhh. She has started to say keys now, to add to her objects of duck, quack, bath, teeth. She tries to copy me all the time too. Yesterday I was pretending to snore on the couch, and she jumped up to my face and went RAARRR!!! It was super cute, and funny. She thrives on being the center of EVERYONE'S attention.

She is such a GREAT sleeper. At night all we have to do is put her in her crib, and when lights are out she snuggles with her blanket and is OUT! And will stay there until the morning! This has been SO nice for us. Sometimes I take this for granted though, and have to remind myself that this is RARE, and be grateful that I am not ups 2-3 times every night nursing!

She is still tiny tiny tiny. This is hard sometimes for me, I worry she isn't getting enough nutrients, because she literally is tiny I mean the girl still fits in her 3-6 clothes, I make her wear 9 month, and 12 clothes, because her other ones are getting to that stretched out sick faze,  but she still fits in them, and barely fits in her size.  But the girl eats 3 times what Axel does of solid food. She just has her father's metabolism and her mother's activity level I think. At our last dr appointment she hadn't grown much but our dr wasn't too worried because she was still growing. I would be shocked if she was more than 17 lbs at her 1 year mark.

I always laugh when people ask me if they can hold Dani, and she wiggles like crazy out of their hands, or pulls their hair until they give her what she wants. I know it is not that funny, but she knows what she wants and she kinda is ruthless. I say she doesn't mean it, but I am pretty sure she does. I have figured out recently that the reason she pulls hair is because she is trying to get attention from that person. It took me a LONG time to figure it out, but after observing her play with a friend, one minute they were giving each other loves, but when the girl turned and started to play with a different toy, Dani went straight for her hair! I also realized that when she pulls my hair I am usually preoccupied with something out and she is just trying to get me to focus on her!

The other day she climbed up to a neighbor girl got a hold of her hair pulled her to the ground with said hair and took the doll from her. Yeah she was fast and ruthless. The little girl didn't even know what was happening, she just kept saying "Baby no no"....sigh this girl, I laugh now but I am slightly nervous that she will be a force to be reckoned with later in life.

She LOVES to sing and dance, she knows all the actions to one of the songs from the library, and for a while there she would make me sing it to her over and over again. But she twists and shakes it better than any baby I know :)

Axel

Oh how this boy is such a big kid now.

First and foremost, we are over the potty training hurdle! He is completely out of diapers/and pull ups, even at night!  I still am so proud of him for being so brave and cooperative. It was hard for him at first, he didn't like this new step, but once he gained confidence in himself, he really started to get excited about it all. The night thing was really funny, he decided to do that all on his own. He told Kory one night when they were getting ready for bed "I don't wear pull ups!" and after that he was just done, and hasn't gone back since. I am a bit worried this summer when we have to put swim diapers on, (because he is still under the age limit where they allow them to go without, I think it is 4). But I think he will understand...

He is getting so smart! I can not believe how much he takes in and is learning lately. Specifically gospel stuff. He has gotten really into singing, he knows a whole bunch of primary songs, and has started singing them while he plays, or when he is down stairs in the studio! Obviously this makes us both very happy, he loves that song by the band called "Fun" and sings it every time it is on the radio :) so its not ALL church stuff. :)

He is really getting good at the concept of saying prayers and why we say them. The other day at lunch he reminded me that we needed to say a prayer before eating. He also reminded us last Sunday that we needed to say a family prayer before bed. :) And the other night he said the prayer for dinner by himself and he said "Thank you for the food, thank you for the prophet". We were pretty surprised by this since it is not usually something we pray for at dinner, I am pretty sure Nursery taught him that.

He LOVES spending time with his friends. I was really worried that Axel would be a lot more introverted, because he was such a shy baby. But he has really come out of his shell lately and everyday he asks to go play with the neighbor boy, or the "Lock and his Nana" (other neighbor kids). It is fun to sit back and just listen to them play and pretend, and to explore the world around them.

Last but not least, he is pretty OBSESSED with superheros these days. I mean, knows more superheros by name, and their villains more then I ever have in my entire life. He and Kory have been reading comic books every night, and remember those peg people I made him for Christmas? Well he has quite the collection now, I wont go into to much detail because Kory wants to blog about it, so I will leave it for him. But the whole thing has opened this whole new world for him! Everyday he is a different character. He still loves robots, pirates, and basketball, but right now he REALLY loves super heroes. Most days he wears jammies all day because all of his super hero costumes are jammies. So I have been working on updating his wardrobe with different super hero T's, I have made r so far (Batmant, Hulk, Captain America, and the Flash) but he has a list for me now and wants me to make MORE.