Kids

Kids

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Who needs toys?

Isn't it ironic that Moms & Dads, Grandmas & Grandpas, Aunts & Uncles -everyone! - seem to spend all their money buying toys for Baby? Our house is filled to the brim with all sorts of toys and gadgets for Nola, yet when we let her loose in the house, this is what she finds and wants to play with. So toys - money well spent? I think not.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Thursday, February 17, 2011

A good laugh :)

This is HILARIOUS!

Enjoy :)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Annimaversary #3!

On January 18th, Dougie and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. We were planning on just staying home to save money...but, we couldn't resist a reason to get outta dodge and have some fun, sans baby. We went out to Fairmont Hot Springs for the weekend and enjoyed some soaking and skiing. It was delish! Here are some photos of our afternoon on the hill.









Snoozie Q

Every mornings, I put Nola in her exersaucer while I am having a shower and getting ready for the day. She usually jumps, squeals, talks and plays with her toys. This Saturday, however, things were really quite when I got out of the shower. I went into the living room to check on her, and this is what I saw. I guess she was still pretty tired...







Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Faith

Last night, we had the missionaries over for dinner. After the meal, they shared a lesson with us on faith. Elder Peterson pulled out a huge rat trap and showed us how it worked by touching the trigger with a pencil. Of course, the pencil not only snapped in half, but splintered into many little shards. He went on to ask us, "What is faith?" Our response was typical - hope in things which aren't seen. He then asked me if I had faith in him as a missionary. I said yes. He then asked me to touch the trigger of the rat trap with my finger. I figured there was some trick to the question, so I reached forth my finger. I was slightly hesitant to actually touch the trigger - I thought it would be a 'Abraham and Isaac' type lesson and he would stop me just before I touched. Not the case. I touched the trigger and the spring launched, however the trap didn't close on my finger. While we weren't looking, he had adjusted the trap in such a way that my finger wouldn't get caught.

He then asked, "Has Heavenly Father ever asked you to do anything hard? Scary? Challenging? Confusing?" Immediately, and almost in unison, Doug and I replied, "Yes! Of course He has!"

This has gotten me thinking about the experiences Doug and I have had in regards to faith.

In January of 2009, I had been at the temple and I felt inspired that Doug and I needed to start our family. We weren't planning on having kids yet, but I felt and urgent need to start. We had gotten pregnant right away and were a little nervous about the whole ordeal - we didn't have much time to let the idea sink in. In April, at 12 weeks, I miscarried our sweet little baby. This truly was the biggest trial I have faced so far in my life, however I had peace. Peace because I knew that I had followed the Lord. Things didn't turn out the way I had wanted or expected, however I knew and still know that the Lord has a special plan for me and my family.

In December 2009, Doug and I were having some struggles and we were trying to turn to the Lord for answers and guidance to ease ourselves of the burdens that were slowly drowning us. I had gone to the temple and had the strong impression that Doug was to take a semester off of school. I was perplexed - how would this help? I thought, if Doug takes a break from school, he'll probably never go back and he would have to work as a labourer the rest of his life! Is that what he wants? Is that what I want? This doesn't make any sense! Well, I felt what I had felt, and I went home to talk to Doug about it. Lets just say, he was not pleased with the thought. We was not going to take a break from school - come hell or high water. After about a month of us bickering back and forth about the subject, Doug decided to truly fast and pray about the situation. The Lord whispered to Him softly, 'Take a break from school. I love you and everything will work out the way it should'.

That was that. Doug did not return to classes in the new year. Instead, he worked full time as a laborer at Agropur, and trust me, the blessing truly began to flow. Doug and I were able to work hard and focus on the burdens that were holding us back. We were able to free ourselves from some of the bonds by which we were bound. Doug was offered any job he wanted at Agropur - ANY job he wanted!! He started on-line classes in the fall to become a lab technician and will start his permanent, full-time position at Agropur in April.

We have been so blessed by our choices to follow the Lord. Even though they were scary and confusing, we believed the Lord knew what was best for us, and surely He did. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and how He leads and guides not only my life, but my husbands as well. I am so glad I have found the Lord, for I know He was always looking for me. The Gospel is the best part of this world, no matter what anyone else says. I exhort you all to exercise faith, follow the Lord and trust that He will never, ever let you down. He is the only one we can truly rely for anything and everything. He is my best friend and I love Him.

And she's off!!

Now we are really on the move!

Splish splash!

Nola just loves the tub! Up until she was about 6 months, she HATED the tub. We would lay her back on one of those mesh supports, and she would hold onto the sides for dear life as we would wash her! She couldn't wait to get out! Now, she'll fuss when we take her out, 'cause she just wants to kick and splash the night away!

Here is a sweet little video of her having a tubby. She is so precious!!

11 month stat

Weight: 20 lbs 15 oz

Clothing: 6-12 months, 9 months

Diaper: size 3

Teeth: two top and two bottom

Favourites:

Toy: musical kaleidoscope, bike, tigger, mommy and daddy's shoes (not really a toy, but she thinks they are), TV remote

Song: 'I know my Redeemer lives', 'I am a child of God', all the songs on her kaleidoscope

Food: tomatoes, bananas, avocados, bread, Gerber peach puffs

Noise: 'doo-doo-doo', 'ma-ma', 'ba-ba', 'da-da', lots of random gibberish

Activity: walking, walking and more walking! chewing on the corners of the table (this is not our favourite), pulling the shoes of the show rack, pulling the canned goods out of our food storage, pulling her books out of her book case...notice a trend? being a ham, especially at church. She'll stare at whoever is sitting behind us and flirt with them.

Learning:

-she is mastering walking. She does it more and more everyday, and can now get pretty much anywhere she wants.

-she learnt how to clap this month thanks to Grandma Walton!!

-she will repeat words you say, like 'ma-ma', 'doo-doo' and 'ba-ba'!

Dislikes:

-getting her face cleaned after meals. Getting her nose wiped especially!

-being tired. As I am preparing to go back to work, she has to get up earlier, so by the end f the day, she is ready for bed!

-sitting still.

Loves:

-her Daddy, as always. She lights up every time she sees him!

-her grandparents! We have been able to spend more time with Grandma and Papa Walton and she is so in love with them!!

-playing by herself. She is very independent.

-splashing in the tub!

-watching Super Why every morning! The picture above is of her watching it! This is the ONLY time when she sits still.

Best part of being a Mommy:

-watching her walk! Its is so cute! She is so little and she just trots around :)

-feeding her a bottle before bed. I love to swaddle her up and rock er in my chair.

-watching her feed herself big girl food! She gets COVERED!

-listening to her talk, especially when she jabbers on and on. I could only imagine what stories she is telling!

-watching her with Doug :)

-waking her up in the morning. She eyes are all puffy and she looks exhausted, but she greets me with a big smile and a little shriek of excitement! I greet her with the same :)

-watching her play by herself. It is wonderful to see how she interacts with the world around her.


I can't believe in just 4 short weeks, our baby will be a whole year old! I am so excited for her and proud of all she has done over the past 11 months!