Happy Thanksgiving!

The month of November went by really fast for us and now Charlize is just a week away from being 6 months old!  Our big event this month was Thanksgiving and this year we got it twice.

On Wednesday we had Thanksgiving with the Warren's and the sister missionaries. 

Here is everyone enjoying the evening!

Mom getting everything finalized for dinner.

 Nick and Charlize

Charlize getting lots of attention from Grandma and Uncle Colt.

The Sister Missionaries

 Colt and Addi

 Dad (just itching his nose), Colt and Addi

Everyone just relaxing after a big meal!

Mom and Dad cleaning up dinner.

Nick, Colt and Addi on the ipad and computer.

To top off the night, we got a really good laugh from Charlize.  We were just sitting down to hear a message from the missionaries and Mom got a little giggle from Charlize.  That got everyone else laughing too but when we finally settled down to hear the message, Charlize was still going.  So cute.  

Then on Thursday we had Thanksgiving with the Wrights and family.

My parents were also able to join us at the Wrights.

So, here is Thanksgiving Round Two:

 Charlize and Haley

 Samantha and Nick playing ping pong...not sure who won this round.

 Dad enjoying the appetizers-- the best part of Thanksgiving!

 Mom and Charlize

Charlize really enjoyed all the attention!

 Jason and Nick

 Haley 

 Getting the kitchen ready for dinner.

Rachel and Brittany making a gingerbread train.

 Jason, Haley, Dad, and Charlize

 Rachel coloring in the book she won while playing Bingo.

 Dad--He went hunting Thanksgiving morning but made it back in time for the turkey.

 Brittany

 Mom making beanies for her grand babies.

 Samantha and Charlize

Nick and Brittany on the piano.

And of course, here is an update on the baby!!  

She is very busy lately learning how to get around without crawling....she is rolling everywhere!!

The other day I was in the bathroom getting ready and Charlize was playing on the floor in my room.  Within just a few minutes, she had rolled across the floor and right into the bathroom doorway.  Just a few seconds later she had figured out how to wiggle her way out of being stuck in the doorway and she rolled right into the bathroom with me.  She is a busy little girl!!  

So cute!! I like to think she is learning how to smile for the camera!!

Charlize has also found her toes and she just loves them.
For awhile she would just play with them with her hands but she has recently figured out how to get them in her mouth and she thinks that is the best!

This video clip shows some of the new things I think are so cute about her:  the hiccups, playing with her feet, and my new favorite thing-- sucking on her bottom lip (look closely, she does it real quick in the beginning).

Charlize is also starting to "talk" a lot more.  She has a deep, raspy little hum and a cute little babble with all sorts of stories to tell.  I haven't been able to get a video yet but I'm working on it.

Finally, over the holiday break Colt took some time to take pictures of us; here are some of my favs:

I just love her little toothless grin!

This is just a fun, candid shot--

Charlize is always putting things in her mouth so she thought she would try my hair.

 

Such a sweet little girl!

Playing with her toes again.

She always has her fingers in her mouth... what a cutie!!

Thanks Grandma for the headbands and beanie.  Thank you Colt for taking great pictures!!

Visiting Utah

Nick, Charlize, and I went to Utah with my parents to visit the Quigley's.  It was a busy weekend, but we were able to do a lot and visit a lot of people.

We drove down on Thursday evening and stayed in Mountain Home then finished driving down on Friday morning.  This made the trip easier for Charlize because she was able to sleep most of the way.  But, when she was awake, she really enjoyed watching Winnie the Pooh on my mom's iPad.  I'm glad someone was prepared to entertain her on such a long trip.

Saturday morning the girls went shopping-- ModBod outlet!  While we were out, Dad, Nick and Brian got to work on putting up wains cotting in Jocelyn's room.  Then in the afternoon Grandpa Johnson, Aunt Shelly, and Rose came up to visit us.  Then that evening, we went up to visit Dad's family and enjoy Leatherby's!  We were able to see Travis and his family, Uncle Richard and Aunt Carrie, Uncle Pat and his family, and Trista.  It was great to see so much of our family!!!  (Unfortunatley, I forgot to take my camera out all day.) While we were with family at Leatherby's Nick and Brian went off to the BYU basketball game.

Sunday we had a special treat and were able to listen to both Jessica and Brian give talks in Sacrament Meeting.  After church, Samantha came down to spent some time with us.

Samantha hanging out with Charlize:

Everyone enjoying the day of rest:

Mom spending time with the little ones:

Dad taking a nap:

Nick and the big screen:

Hayden singing The Lion King:

Hayden has been watching The Lion King since it came out on DVD and then Mom bought him the soundtrack and brought it down to him, so we got to listen to him sing all weekend.  So cute!!

Dad and Hayden carving pumpkins for Halloween:

Hayden wasn't so sure about the pumpkin "guts"

We really had to coax him into scooping stuff out and then all he got has one little seed:

The finished product:

The highlihgt of this day was getting Charlize to giggle.  Mom and Jessica had the babies in her room and then Jess ran out and told me to get the camera out.  I went into her room and found Charlize laughing with Jessica.  Charlize did this for at least 4 minutes straight.  Jessica's voice was hoarse after this but Charlize was being so cute, Jessica just kept laughing.  Everyone tried the rest of the weekend, and I have tried since then, but Charlize would only do this with Jess.  It was so cute and I'm glad we got it on camera. 

So, here is Charlize's official first giggle:

Sunday afternoon we were also able to get a couple of family pictures

Our little family:

The Grandkids:

The Proud Grandparents:

Monday morning the boys went golfing (while Dad finished Jocelyn's room).  Monday afternoon Nick, Charlize, and I went to BYU.  We visited Samantha, Miley and Sam, and some of our old professors.  We also went shopping at the bookstore.  It was a good afternoon.  The best part of the day was celebrating Halloween.

Everyone getting ready for Trick-or-Treating:

The gang all ready to go:

Jocelyn as a lady bug, Charlize as a kitty cat, Hayden as Buzz Lightyear, and Brian as Scooby Doo!

Out getting the candy:

For a Halloween party, Haley and her friend dressed up as Star Wars characters--

a Jedi Night and Princess Leia

Monday night we stayed up late to just hang out.  Around 10 p.m. we ordered pizza.  Shortly after the pizza arrived Hayden came sneaking out of his room.  It was so cute to see him peak around the corner and see if it was okay for him to be out of bed.  Here is a video of him playing with Dad.  I think the little boy had a little too much candy!!  You can see on the clock in the background that he should have been asleep hours ago!

Besides working on Jocelyn's room, the boys also had another big project--their entry video for The Amazing Race.  Here is what they came up with:

We really can't wait to see them play and win this thing.  But, we have to wait until January to see if they got accepted.  Wish them luck!

A COUPLE OTHER VIDEOS...

While I am posting videos, I just had to throw in a couple more to show how big Charlize is getting.  She will be 5 months in two days and she thinks she is so big.  She won't let anyone hold her like a baby, she wants to sit up all on her own, even though she really can't do it yet, and she is starting to scoot.  I can hardly keep up with her.  She is going to be very independent!!

Here is another video of her in the Johnny Jump Up-  She just loves it.

Here is a video of Charlize with her "new" favorite toy:

 

Charlize was up on the counter one day while I was cleaning up in the kitchen and I gave her a water bottle to play with.  It was so funny to watch her try to hold onto it and eat it.  Now I always give her a water bottle while we work in the kitchen. I usually end up spending half of my time chasing after it but it so cute; she really gets excited now when she sees a water bottle.

Ten Things for the Tenth Month

YEAH FOR OCTOBER!!!

The fall has been great here and I have really enjoyed the cool weather and beautiful colors.  It has also been an exciting and busy month so I thought I would highlight ten things since we are in the tenth month. Enjoy!

1. First, Haley went to her first formal dance in high school.  When I first met her she was 12 years old, so in my eyes she is still little.  I can't believe she is 16 and dating and driving :).  But, here she is, so beautiful and ready to go to her first dance.

2. Nick has been really busy with work, but in his free time he has been trying to do more work on the house.  His latest project has been refacing our fireplace.  These pictures show the old brick and then the new brick, minus the mantel.  I will post a another picture once the mantel is on.  I think he did such a great job!

3.  In one week we were given a couple of reminders of just how blessed we are.  At the beginning of the week, our heat fan went out so we had to go one night and part of the next day without heat.  Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but I was very worried that Charlize wouldn't be warm enough.  So, she spent the night with us (for body heat) and then got to take naps in our bed, all bundled up.  Even though it cost us a pretty penny to get the heat going again, it reminded me how blessed we are to live in a home and an time where we can have heat so easily in our home.

So, here is a picture of our little girl, all bundled up for her nap.

Later that week, our hot water heater went out, reminding me again how blessed we are.  I think I had started to take for granted all that we are blessed with.  I am truly grateful for modern conveniences and technology that make our lives so great.


4. We also had another close-call that same week, but again we were blessed.  Haley, our young driver, had her first car accident.  She has bumps and bruises to show for it, but she came out alright.  Now, we just have to find her another vehicle to drive! 


And of course, a few things about Charlize...

5. She is really getting good at rolling over and grabbing toys. I like this video because it shows how much she is talking and then at the end you can see how fast she has gotten at rolling from her back to her tummy.

6. I  love that she has gotten really good at rolling over onto her tummy--it makes tummy time a lot easier because if she rolls onto her tummy on her own, then she usually doesn't cry.  It has to be her idea!!  She has gotten so comfortable on her tummy that sometimes she'll just lay there without playing or talking, it is pretty cute.

One time, when I went to check on her this is what I found:

I guess she was a little more tired than I thought!! So precious!

7. Charlize is also learning to do a few new things.  The first is the Johnny Jump Up.  Charlize had a great first experience--she really enjoyed it.  Here is the video of the first time I put her in it.

Then I put her back in it when Nick came home and her second experience wasn't as good.  I wasn't looking as closely as I should have been and she smacked right into the door.  If you look closely at this picture you can see two red goose eggs on her forehead. 

8. Another thing Charlize is learning is how to giggle.  My mom has had the best luck at getting giggles out of her but I have had a couple of good attempts.  She was giggling pretty good one time so I had Nick grab the camera, but as usual, as soon as she sees she is being filmed, she stops whatever it is we want to capture.  So, listen close and you can hear a really short little giggle towards the end.  It is pretty cute.

9. Charlize is teething!!! I thought that she might have been teething when she couldn't keep her hands out of her mouth and she was always drooling but now I know that she is.  I have been able to feel a couple of teeth coming in on the top and occasionally she'll let me get a good look inside of her mouth to see her little pearly whites coming in.  It has made her a little more irritable but she is still cute and fun!

I tried several times to get a good picture of her teeth coming in but had no success.  Instead, I decided to get a video of her taking her teething tablets.  She gets really excited when it is time to take them and has gotten really good at "chewing" them.

And number 10...

Yes, that is plastic wrap on her little bottom.  When Charlize was 2 months old she came down with a little bacterial infection. At her last well-child appointment her doctor thought it was time to check and make sure the infection was all out of her system.  In order to do this, we had to get a stool sample.  This is what I had to do when she was two months old, and although it is not easy, I thought, "No big deal, I have done this before."  Well, I had done it on a 2 month old; a 4 month old is completely different--she can roll now.  Basically, I have to sit there with her laying on piece of plastic wrap until she poops and then I can wrap it up and take it to the lab.  So, I was laying on the floor with her when I had to go answer the door.  When I returned, I found her rolled over and playing with her toys with plastic stuck to her bum.  I just had to take a picture!

Charlize is Four Months Old!

Wednesday was Charlize's four month anniversary and I know I always say this, but I can't believe how much she has grown.  I love to watch her learn and grow but some days I just wish she would stay my baby girl forever.  But, in celebration of making it to four months, I thought I would do a little showcase of her likes and dislikes and how much she has grown.  So, I apologize now for going camera crazy; most of these pictures were taken on Wednesday.  I just felt like I had to capture it all before she grew up even more.

What Charlize likes: (in no particular order)

1. Molly, her stuffed pink hippo

I bought this hippo for Charlize so she would have some quiet toys to take to church but it has actually become her best friend.  We take it everywhere with us. We went to Costco the other day and Charlize sat quietly in the stroller the entire time, wide awake, just trying to figure out how to grab it and get it to her mouth.  Charlize especially loves to suck on her ear; she won't take a pacifier, but she will take Molly's ear! 

2. Taking Baths (especially since we bought bath toys)

Charlize has really figured out how to splash in the tub and she loves it.  There have been a few times after bathing her that it looks like I got in with her with my clothes on because I am so wet from her splashes.  As with her toy, Molly, she is really starting to try and grab stuff so it is really fun to bathe her and watch her kick and grab for the toys. 

3. Her Lady Bug Rattle/Blanket

I like this video because it really shows how much she gets into this game.  Sometimes you can see her open her mouth waiting for the blanket to come down and then if you listen close you can hear her take a quick, deep breath when I lift it off of her face.  I feel like I could play this game with her for hours and she would never get tired of it!


4. Her Hands

Charlize always has her hands in her mouth.  She is always sucking on them and drooling all over.  I put little hand mittens on her when she sleeps and I have to stick them in the dryer after every nap because they are just soaked from her sucking on them.  She also tends to stick her fingers way back in her throat and I am constantly having to pull them out as she makes gagging noises.  She hasn't quite figured out that she is doing it to herself.


5. Ceiling Fans, still

It always amazes me when I see her entertaining herself.  She is such a happy baby and that makes my job easier.  If I have to be up working around the house, I know I can just lay her on the floor and she will be fine.  But, it isn't all of her new toys that usually keep her occupied, it is still . . .  the ceiling fans.  She could just lay there on the floor and stare at them for hours.  I have even caught her smiling at them! How funny!

6. Reading

I have really started to enjoy reading to Charlize because she has become very interested in the pages.  Every time I turn the page of a storybook, her eyes just busily scan all the pictures.  What makes it even better is when she reads to me.  She loves to make noises right along with me as I read to her.  We can actually make it through two or three short storybooks in one sitting before she gets bored.

What Charlize doesn't really care for:

1. Her Car Seat

Maybe it was from all those long car rides to and from Puyallup but lately Charlize has been throwing fits every time I buckle her in to go anywhere.  Hopefully she grows out of it. Being in the car used to put her to sleep, but not lately...

2. Her Crib

Last week Nick and I started "Sleep Training" and it has been much harder than I thought.  Up until this time, she was still going to bed with us at 10:00p and then it would take us another half hour just to get her to go to sleep.  This was getting old so we decided to try some other methods and to start putting her to bed earlier.  It was hard to find a system that worked best for all three of us but we eventually landed on the good old "crying it out" method.  This was very difficult for me at first but we have made real progress.  I'm starting to believe that consistency and dedication pay off.  For most of her naps, I can put her down wide awake and sometimes she will only fuss for 5 or 10 minutes!! That is better than the hour and a half we started with!! Hooray!

3. Tummy Time

I have been trying to be better about getting this little girl time on her tummy.  She is rolling from her back to her tummy but not the other way so we have been spending more time on her stomach.  This has also been a chore but she gets better every time.  Here is a rare video of her actually lifting her head and not being upset!

One of Mom's Favorite's:

The other day, while changing her diaper, I noticed that Charlize seemed to be losing some of her baby fat.  I have always loved to pinch her little rolls and was a little sad to see her getting longer and thinner.  The difference is so small, only a mother could tell but I just had to grab the camera and take pictures of all her fatty spots before they are completely gone. 

Her little "Thunder Thighs":

Her "Sausage Links" (wrist rolls):

And of course her Chubby Cheeks:

I love them all!!
And I just love my little girl!

We Love You Grandma Wright

Klea Fae Wright

March 8, 1929- October 2, 2011

After struggling with liver cancer for quite some time, Nick's grandma, Klea Fae Wright, passed away on Sunday.  She was a wonderful mother and grandmother and I feel so blessed to have met her.  I am also grateful that Charlize was able to meet her, too. Grandma Wright loved children, especially babies, and she always loved to hold Charlize.  In fact, Grandma loved to remind us that she was the first grandma that got to hold Charlize in the hospital. 

Grandma Wright holding Charlize on her baby blessing day.

About a week before she passed, Nick, Charlize and I were able to go up and visit her in Moses Lake.  It was obvious that Grandma was sick and very tired but she was so happy to see us.

Nick, Charlize and Grandma Wright

Ashley, Nick, Charlize, and Grandma

This visit also gave us a chance to visit with other family members:

Shelby and Grandma Skyping with Stacie

Dad (Roger), Charlize, Grandma, and Nick

Grandma Wright and Grandma McNeese

Dad trying to keep Charlize happy!

Leslie and Grandma

Aunt Merlynn putting Charlize to sleep

Grandma with her children:

Roger, Sheryl, Leslie, and Merlynn

It was a great visit and we are so glad that we were able to spend some more time with Grandma.  The best part for me was right before we left--Grandma went back in the house to hold Charlize one more time.  Lately, Charlize will not let anyone hold her in a cradled position but Grandma took her in her arms and Charlize just looked up at her and sat there so quiet, without any fussing, and just let Grandma hold her and talk to her. 

It was a beautiful thing to watch. 

Grandma, we love and miss you!! Thanks for everything you have given us!