Happy Spring!

There is so much to celebrate here in our little home as the weather is warming up and we are beginning to enjoy more sunshine and the smell of beautiful flowers. 

First on our list is the marriage of Colt and Adaline.  They were married on Saturday, April 14th and we are so excited for them.  It was also great to have all the family here-- Great Grandma and Grandma Warren, Uncle Pat and Cami, Uncle Richard and Aunt Carrie, Natasha and Nathan, the Qiugley's and the Graessers.  Congrats Colt and Addi!

Here are a couple of pictures from Adaline's Bridal Shower:

The Goodie Table

Opening presents

Some of the guests

And more presents

I'll post some pictures from the wedding next time, as well as some pictures of Charlize and her cousins.

With the nice weather, Nick has also been able to do some more work on the house.  He has recently finished the last big project in the house, the laundry room, and has now moved to the outside.

In the laundry room, Nick painted, updated the cabinets and the countertop, put down new tile flooring and redid the bathroom.

Before:

 And After:

Thank you Colt and Dad for helping with this!

As for the work outside, Nick and I have spent a lot of time weeding and cleaning up.  But we couldn't have finished up with out Mom, Dad, Colt and Adaline.  They came over and in one Saturday we got flowers planted, the garden ready, the front porch cleaned up and best of all, cute black shutters on the front of the house.

Before:

Lots of weeds!

And no shutters:

And After:

 We just love the shutters:

Thank you everyone for coming to help!!

Another exciting event was celebrating Easter.  We thought that Charlize wasn't old enough to do an Easter Egg Hunt so we have that to look forward to next year, but she did get an Easter Basket.  I was so excited to give it to her in the morning that I took her right from the crib to the living room without feeding her.  Sadly, she was more interested in getting me to feed her than she was her basket.

Charlize's Easter Basket and Clothes

Investigating the goods

"I think I would rather eat first, mom."

Charlize got some summer clothes, an Easter dress and Lady and the Tramp DVD from Grandma and Grandpa Warren Easter Bunny.  She also got some books, star puffs, and a summer outfit from Mom and Dad Easter Bunny.  Mom and Dad got some clothes and candy.

Then we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Wright.  Charlize was greeted with more goodies-- an Easter Dress, a lamb and blanket, and a board book.  She really got spoiled.

No one was really excited to show Charlize what the Easter Bunny brought:

Such a cute little girl--growing up so fast!

At Grandma and Grandpa Warren's house, we celebrated Easter and Adaline's birthday.

It was very exciting to celebrate Charlize's first Easter but most importantly, it was wonderful to reflect on that first Easter Morning when Christ was resurrected.  We are so grateful for the knowledge of and blessings we have because of the Atonement. 

Now, as always, I must include a little update on the sweet little baby.  She is now 10 months old and I can't believe so much time has passed since we brought our bundle of joy home from the hospital.  She has grown so much, even in just the last month. 

1.  She is finally getting some hair . . .  well at least on the back half of her head.  She has nothing on her cousin, Jocelyn, but it is coming in.

2. Charlize gave her first kisses to mom and dad.  We have learned that she knows what kisses are and how to give them but she still makes us work for it.  At least we know she just won't be handing them out to boys later on.

3. She loves the vacuum.  Charlize went through a short phase where she did not like the vacuum at all but more recently she gets very excited whenever I get the vacuum out.  She loves to just sit on the floor and follow me from room to room, just watching the vacuum and playing with the cord. 

One day, I was hurrying to get the vacuuming done before I had to put Charlize down for a nap.  I knew she was getting tired but she was so patient while she waited for me to finish, just folling me around.  Occasionally, she would stop and put her down on the floor, then move on with me.  When I finished, I hurried to grap the camera and get a quick video of our tired little girl, waiting to go to bed.

4.  Charlize still loves to eat!! Between sleeping and eating, Charlize stays busy all day.  Her favorites are still sweet potatoes and avacados but she has also found a love for bananas and bread.  She has also tried her first popcicle (pediapop).  I don't think she liked it very much but we will try again.

5.  Charlize is still army crawling, but she is very fast now and has recently been spending lots of play time trying to figure out how to get that tummy off the floor. 
She has also started to try and pull herself up onto drawers and stairs.  Grandma Wright came to babysit and they spent lots of time on the stairs. 

The next day, we decided to keep practicing.  Charlize did so good the first three times she climbed up the stairs with Nick and I and then, of course, I decide to grab the camera and by then she is a little warn out, but it is still cute:

6.  And now, the best for last.  Charlize has always loved the bath but at times that has made it difficult-- especially when she decides to try out acrobatic moves. 

Once Charlize became very stable sitting up on her own and I just couldn't keep her in the infant tub, I decided it was time to move to the big tub.  I was a little nervous, but it only took swallowing water twice until she figured things out.  Now, she thinks this is the best thing and just loves the bath. 

I must include this short video of Charlize in the bath tub.  I let her play with the little bath comb that we got in the hospital.  The look on her face says that she is not too sure about it!

Our little girl is so cute and always so happy.  She brings us such joy and we are so grateful to have her!!  I love her little toothless grin, her giggle, and her love and curiosity for life.  Everyday I am so happy to get up and greet her in the morning and spend the day learning from her.  I know she is truly a beloved daughter of God and I feel so blessed that I have been given this time on earth to be her mother.

Lastly, I would like to share a little video message with you.  There is a little three year old girl, Clara, in our stake who was diagnosed with cancer this last year.  We have been keeping her and her family in our prayers but things are up and down with her.  As I reflect on this and the blessing our little girl is I wonder if I would be strong enough to deal with such a trial in this life.  I found some strength in a video her mother posted on You Tube.  It is just a short clip of Clara's older brother talking about the situation.  Nick found the video and was inspired to make a sort of "Mormon Message" out of it.  I watched him make it and I have seen it several times but I still cry every time. It is so sweet and comforting.  Enjoy:

May you and your families be blessed. We love you!

Another Month Older

Wow, another month has already come and gone and I can't believe our little girl is nine months old.  It is these milestones that remind me that I don't want to "just get through the day," I want to make the most of each day.  Sometime it is hard for me to even remember what Charlize was like before she could roll and giggle and smile, so this past month I have been taking lots and lots of videos.  I tried to condense them down into a few semi-short clips to share with all of you.  I hope you enjoy:

1. Charlize got a lot of fun toys for Christmas and she has been enjoying all of them, but it has always been said, "the simpler the better," and Charlize has found that to be true with her toys.  She spends so much time playing with a small simple set of bells she got from her cousins.

2. Charlize has always loved eating and lately she spends a large part of her day sitting in her chair, chowing down.  The surprising thing is that at her last doctor's appointment she had lost a pound.  Charlize weighed in at just over 16 pounds and 28 inches long and her doctor said, "Well, she's just going to be tall and skinny."  Of course, I was a little concerned over the weight she had lost but the doctor explained that she would be fine and that she had actually been growing . . .  at her last appointment Charlize's head circumference was average, it has since grown in size to be two sizes above average.  I guess she'll be like her dad!

In fact, every day I see more and more of Nick in my little girl--she is so independent and head-strong yet she can also be sweet and funny.  But, the other day I finally saw a little bit of me in her.  I rarely sit in a chair with my feet on the floor--I prefer to sit with my feet up on the seat.  Here is a picture of Charlize in her high chair in a pose that has become quite common; look at where her foot is!

And now, a little video of some of her fun times in the high chair:

3. Nick is always trying to get kisses from Charlize but for some reason she is very anti-kisses (could it be that dad is always trying to steal kisses?).  Nick recently found a way to trick Charlize into giving him good kisses. Enjoy:

4. When Charlize is not eating, she is a busy little girl.  This video shows some of her favorite activities:

Dancing to Micheal Jackson . . . yep, she's just like her dad!!

And finally, here is a sneak peak at some of the nine month pictures Colt took of Charlize last week.

Thank you Mom and Uncle Colt for coming over to do this for us!

We hope all is well with you and your families.  Thanks again for keeping up with our little family!

Charlize is eight months old!!

January 5th was my birthday and it was also Charlize's 7th month birthday.  We were able to have lots of celebrations in the month of January because it is also the birthday month for my mom and my nephew Hayden.  Here are some pictures from all of the parties.

Ashley's Birthday dinner with the Wrights at Bob's Burgers (my new favorite place!):

Mom and Nick

 Haley

 Mom and Dad

Haley and Ashley

Charlize just couldn't keep her eyes open so she enjoyed dinner from her car seat! So precious!

 Combined birthday party for Ashley, Mom, and Hayden at the Warrens:

 Hayden was so excited to open presents.  Now, on his third birthday, I think he finally gets it! So cute!

 Mom, Charlize (ready for bed), and Nick

 Jessica

 Brian and Ken

 Brandon and Kaci

Dad, Colt and Addi

 Hayden opening his third Angry Birds present: green stuffed pig, band-aids and gummy candies

 Hayden also got Don't Break the Ice and a slinky

 Mom got another picture collage for her wall--this one is of her grandkids

Here are some of the pictures included in the collage:

It is very difficult to get a tired 3 year old and two little girls (who can barely sit up on their own) to pose for good pictures.  So, this is what we got after being at the studio for over two hours . . .
Grandma better appreciate it!!

 Hayden trying out his "swink thing" on the stairs

 Jessica counting candles on the cake with Hayden

(Even though Ashley does not appear in any of these pictures, it does not mean she wasn't there; it just means she was behind the camera all night)

Then we got to celebrate Mom's birthday at Red Robin on her special day:

 Mom and Dad

 Colt, Addi, and Charlize

 Nick, Ashley and Charlize

Happy Birthday everyone!!

January went by too fast but with the beginning of February brings the beginning of more fun with our little girl.  On February 5th she turned eight months old!!  And, as always, I just need to post some pictures and videos to show how cute she is and how much she has grown!

Here is a little video showing some of her funny moments in the past month:

Another funny moment:
Nick, Charlize and I wanted to go for a walk one afternoon but it was still a little chilly outside so we decided to bundle Charlize up.  Nick also thought it might be nice to have sunglasses on too. 
Here is the end result:

She kept her sunglasses on really well and it was so funny to see her in an over-sized full body suit.  She just loves being outside. 

The best part came when we got home and Nick took her inside to get her undressed.  She looks like a little baby seal stuck on land.  Enjoy:

Charlize has also discovered a love for things that weren't meant for a little one. Although she enjoys all the new toys she got for Christmas, she also enjoys discovering new "toys," some of which include a rubber spatula, straps on her car seat, her dad's shoe laces, and any cell phone.  She is such a smart and curious girl.

Charlize is also a very good eater:

She loves her sippy cup!

And she loves food!!

Some of her favorites include sweet potatoes and applesauce.

Here is a video of her eating so good and the little fit she sometimes throws when all her food is gone:

When Charlize is not at the table eating, she is usually playing on the floor.  She is still rolling everywhere but has recently enhanced her ability to get around.  She can now army crawl (and is pretty fast), scoot herself around in a 360, and is beginning to learn how to pull herself up to a crawling position.  Although she loves learning new things, it has to be her idea and at her own pace.  As you will see in this video, she has learned how to stiffen up her body whenever anyone tries to help her get up on her hands and knees.  She thinks she is so independent . . . and who doesn't love a baby in just a diaper:

 Charlize is also getting stronger and sitting up on her own better. 
What you can't see is Nick waiting near by just in case she tips over.  I think it will be just a little while longer until she is ready to sit ALL by herself.

I still cherish every toothless grin she gives me.  Even though there doesn't seem to be any teeth in a hurry to come through I know that will change soon enough. 

I also love every kiss and giggle I get from her.  Unfortunately, Charlize does not like getting kisses but there have been a few occasions where she has been willing to give a kiss or two.  One of the lucky recipients of those kisses is the fish in the tub:

And finally, another giggle video.  I never get tired of hearing this sound:

We hope things are well with you and your families. 

Thanks again for keeping up with our little family!