Christmas Cousin Pics...

My sister Sarah started a tradition of getting a pic with all the cousins in Christmas jammies to give to Grandma & Grandpa for Christmas. We did our pics the first week of December this year. I got my copy of the pics back on Christmas Eve.

Now, before you get to see the pics, of course there is a story. Conni usually does pretty well for professional pictures. We go every three to six months depending on what's going on to get new pics of our little girl. We always go to the JC Penneys at South Towne mall. So, part of me was hoping that this picture taking event would go over well, but part of me knew my daughter would decide she didn't like it.

True enough, Conni would start crying every time I put her down. Or she would stand back up as soon as I put her down. I just couldn't move fast enough for the photographer to not have me in the picture and have Conni where she was supposed to be.

Sarah finally suggested that she take Conni and I disappear. I thought that would work so I headed out by the catalog counter and salon where Conni wouldn't be able to see me. JC Penney employees kept asking me if I needed help. I told them my daughter was getting her pictures taken and she was doing better without me. Imagine the looks I got! I finally realized I should mention that my sister was still with her. :)

I could still hear Conni crying, but overall it went a little better without me there. But we got the pictures anyway and at least I can laugh about it. Hopefully next year goes better!

Conni, Brad, Bridger, Justine, Bronson, Joseph

(Teeni didn't start crying till Conni did)

"I want my mommi!"

"At least I have my burp cloth to cuddle"

Merry Christmas!

It is officially the week of Christmas! This Christmas season has been one of my absolute favorites in a while! Dave and I were talking, and I realized that this year has the magic back. Not to say that the Christmases past haven't been wonderful, but there is something to be said for watching Conni experience it all for the first time. This is her second Christmas, but last year there was so much going on she just focused on eating things and sleeping. This year, she is caught up in the magic! No, she doesn't fully understand what is going on yet, but she knows there's something. She loves to look at our tree (and gratefully hasn't tried to play with it!). She asks so sweetly to have us turn on the train or the musical bears. She almost gets the concept of delivering gifts too :)

I am excited to teach her the nativity tonight and hope to help her understand why we are celebrating. Dave and I can hardly wait for Christmas morning to see what Santa brings us, and most of all to watch Conni's eyes light up again!

I also wanted to say Merry Christmas to each of you in our lives. We are blessed to have so many wonderful people close to us - family, friends, neighbors. I am grateful that so many people help us raise our daughter and teach her good things. I hope that each of you are able to get what you ask Santa for and we pray you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Somersaults

Bronson has been trying to teach Conni how to do somersaults. The boys will do them all across the length of my parents' family room. Bronson will pull his blanket out, fold it in half, and spread it flat on the floor to use it as a mat. Then he shows Conni the steps to do a somersault.

It took me a bit to figure out when Conni puts her head and hands on the floor (makes her body into an upside down "V") that she was trying to do a somersault. I told Dave and he started helping her flip over. She thinks its the funniest thing! So we have been doing this almost nightly.

The Festival of Trees

Since I was little, we start celebrating the Christmas Season by going to the Festival of Trees. In addition to seeing all the trees, we always see Santa and get to buy a treat from the Small Fry shop.

My Favorite Tree this year - the stools are adorable!

Steph, Justine, Michelle, Joseph, Patti, Conni

Santa, Bronson, Bridger, Brad, and Sarah

(Mom's taking the picture)

Patti, Conni, and Santa

Conni was pretty tired by this time, so I decided not to have her sit on Santa's lap. I was afraid of the fit that may follow. So we settled for this. Santa was very good with her!

I love the excitement I feel there, and how it gets me into the Christmas spirit. It was so much fun to watch my nephews' excitement too as we went around. One of my favorite traditions!

Color Me Beautiful

We had our Young Women in Excellence night last Sunday. The theme was Color Me Beautiful. I was in charge of some of the decorations. With a suggestion from Mom, and lots and lots of help from my sweet Dave (who was sick the whole time we were working on them), we made eight, six foot tall crayons.

The finished product, very late Saturday night.

Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, and Knowledge

Set up at the church - Hi Katee :)

Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue

Sorry that they aren't better pics at the church, but its the best I could get at the time. I was so excited with how well they turned out I was dancing. Now the only thing is that I need to come up with something to do with eight six foot tall crayons.

The other fun thing that was my part that night was we took the Hartman Color Personality test. I am a blue-white personality - mostly mellow, easy going, caring, etc. I thought it was pretty fun to see which girls were which personality. With one or two exceptions, I had guessed correctly.

The entire night was a success, and thanks to the rest of the ladies I work with in YW for making it such a fun night!

Sledding on Thanksgiving

It has been a tradition of my mother's family for over forty years to go sledding at my Grandpa's cabin on Thanksgiving day. So true to form, we went to the cabin this Thanksgiving. Conni had been fighting a really bad cold and we weren't even sure we would make it. I figured that she would love flying down the hill, since she loves flying around the house with her Daddy. So we got there, and as soon as we started bundling her up to go outside she started whining. I thought that once we got on the hill that would make her feel better. Not so much. But here's some cute pics and a short cute video of us trying sledding this year.

Bundling up to go out in the cold

All of us ready to go outside

Sledding was such a success! :D

Playing in the leaves

A couple of weeks ago, Dave got the leaves in the backyard all raked together.  Last year Conni enjoyed playing in the leaves and so we thought she would have fun going thru them this year.  Here's some cute pics of her enjoying it :)

Even when Daddy got down with her she felt the same way.

Well, we hope to have her in the leaves every year, so we'll see if her attitude changes!

Time Out

I started making these time out chairs five or six years ago for one of my nephews. I've made one for each of our siblings. I finally broke down and finished Conni's. It turned out so well! I haven't done one so girly yet with sparkles or anything, and I was so excited how it turned out!

If anyone wants one, I'd be happy to make one for you - just email me or leave a comment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful A-Z

I saw this on a friend's blog and I thought I'd copy. Happy Thanksgiving!


A - Angelic nephews Aidan, Braxton, and Caleb - we miss you! I am grateful we will get to see you again!

B - Beautiful earth - especially the snow! I love living in Utah!

C - My beautiful daughter Conni. We waited so long to get her here and I love being a mom. I know that she tries my patience, but nothing brightens my day like her excitement every morning to see me. I love watching her experience new things!
(Honorable mention C - Chocolate!)

D - My amazing hubby Dave. He gets my thru each day. I know that he loves me and he is always trying to make me be a better person. Love you bear!

E - Electronics - my sweet hubby has turned me into a minor electronics nerd. I am grateful for cell phones and the internet that help us keep in touch, and all the other electronics that make my life easier.

F - The Farrington Family. I have great in-laws who are very supportive and loving people. I am a rather private person, and I don't thank them enough for all they do - so here's to you!

G - The Gospel. I am grateful that I know who I am, where I came from, and where I am going, and how to get there!

H - Our House. I know that it needs work, but it is our little place that is my haven from the world. There's nothing like coming home at the end of a long day and just feeling peace.

I - Ice Cream! Vanilla with Chocolate Sauce and Sprinkles!! :)

J - Jammin to music (a bit of a stretch, I know) - but I love to dance with Dave and/or Conni or just in my car. I'm grateful that I can hear and enjoy music and that I can move and dance.

K - Kindness that others show me. I don't always recognize or say thank you enough to those who make my life easier, but I am grateful for all those who help me.

L - Love. All the people who love me and who I love. I am grateful that Heavenly Father sent us to this earth to grow together.

M - Medical Knowledge - from Dave's gallbladder surgery, to my c-section, to every day antibiotics and pain meds, I am grateful that I live in this day and age with lots of medical knowledge. I don't think I could have lived 100 years ago without it! It makes my life so much easier!

N - Nieces and Nephews - I love how many cousins Conni has and how much fun they all have together. I am grateful for the older nephews being her big brothers and the nieces being her good friends.

O - Opportunities - the opportunity to serve in the Young Womens program and learn and grow with the girls.

P - Parents kind and dear. I love that I live around the corner from them! My super generous Mom who helps me raise Conni, and my super smart Dad who is always there if we need help around the house or anything.
(Honorable mention P - my Piano!)

Q - Quiet time. I love having time to myself to think or get stuff done, and feel the peace and quiet of our home.

R - Relaxing with my family. Whenever Dave gets home and we can just be together and do whatever and watch Conni learn and grow.

S - the Sacrament and my Savior. I am grateful for Jesus Christ's sacrifice and that I can remember it each week thru the Sacrament and constantly work towards making myself a better person.

T - Time - time to stay home with Conni and be a mom, time to work on bettering myself, time to improve my home, time to be with my sweet hubby.

U - Uphill. I have worked there for seven years, with a short sabbatical when I had Conni. I work with great people and I enjoy what I do. The best backpack company ever! :)

V - Visiting Teaching Program - this one took a while to learn, but I am grateful for Visiting Teachers who truly care about me and my family. I am also grateful that I can go Visiting Teaching with my 2nd mom Marilyn and have an opportunity to serve.

W - The Wall Family. I have the most amazing brother and sisters. I am grateful that we are close and that we have so much fun when we get together. I am grateful for how much support they give me and how much they love my family.

X - eXcellent Friends (close enough, right?!) We love spending time with our friends and being able to share their lives together.

Y - You! For reading my blog and I know that I'm not just rambling into cyberspace :)

Z - the Zoo. One of my first dates with Dave, and where we went to celebrate Conni's first birthday, as well as going there as a kid. Full of memories and fun times. Sometime you'll have to ask me about the animal Zoodets :)

Lumberjacks (Ginger Snaps)

This is my MIL's recipe for Conni's favorite cookies.

Lumberjacks (Ginger Snaps)

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add molasses and unbeaten eggs. Mix well. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir in. Put 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Dip fingers into the sugar, then pinch off a ball of dough and roll it to the size, shape of a walnut. Dip the rolled ball into the bowl of sugar. Place balls on greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. This recipe makes 4 dozen large soft cookies. The dough will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Snow much fun...

So I bet you thought this post was going to include a cute pic of Conni playing in the snow storm we had yesterday. But no, we hid out at Aunt Sarah's house yesterday cause there was other stuff going on at our house where her snow clothes were.

In the last few months, we have had increasingly more power outages - but only in certain rooms of the house. This included having the furnace randomly turn off in the middle of the night, or having the TV sit and flicker on and off and on etc. I asked my BIL Garon if he would come give it a once over to see what we were up against, as he is an electrician. Turns out we had too much stuff on the power box that we had (cause whoever worked on it last did NOT know what they were doing), and the box with the meter needed to be replaced.

So, Garon and Dave spent 12 hours yesterday working on this big project. And of course, the time that they had to be working outside was when the worst of the snow storm hit. They got most everything finished, and now Dave has room to add more power to the garage when he is ready to work on it (instead of just the one outlet he currently has), and we haven't had any more flickers.

I am so very grateful to have such a wonderful, generous family. We have so many extended family members that do so much for us. I would list them, but I am afraid I would forget someone. I hope that they all know how much we love and appreciate all they do!

Congrats to Brandon and Renee...

After waiting five days too long, little Connor was born this morning to my dear friends Renee and Brandon. Follow their link on the right (Finding Joy in the Journey - Now) to see pics and stats.

Congrats to you and your family!!!!!

Cute Videos...

Just a couple of cute videos of Conni from this week.

We went in to get Conni after her nap. She loves to dance to her music. So we figured we'd grab some video. Daddy was running the camera and forgot you can't do video sideways at the beginning :)

A cute video of Conni's steps. She's walking like this all over the house. My parents gave David a new sleeping bag for a belated bday present and Conni loved climbing all over it.

Conni's first hair cut

As I mentioned, Conni is now 15 months old. She has yet to have a hair cut. She's been getting pretty scraggly, and I finally decided to break down and get her hair cut.

Before

A friend of mine who is going to cosmetology school offered to cut her hair when I mentioned I was looking to get it done.

Kelsee cutting Conni's hair

Conni did pretty well considering she was tired and still recovering from shots yesterday. Kelsee was patient and did a great job. It was more of a trim than an actual hair cut, but it made all the difference! All her crazy wispies are now even and she has bangs that don't go into her eyes.

The finished product

15 month checkup

Today was Conni's 15 month checkup. She is now 23 lbs (53rd percentile) and 31.5 inches (81st percentile!) I find this interesting since her 2 month checkup she was in the 84th percentile for weight, and the 51st percentile for height. She's switched!

Conni is a very healthy little girl. She is reaching all of her developmental milestones. She was so brave for her three shots! Now she's sleeping peacefully.

Happy Monday!

Walking update part 2...

I am excited to say that Conni has starting taking more and more steps on her own! Last Friday, the 6th, Conni stood up by her crib and all alone walked to me in front of the recliner (Probably about a yard away)! We repeated the feat five or six times before she got tired, but then she wanted to walk down the hall or across the living room. Since then, we are getting more and more steps!

Walking update...

Conni is still using crawling as her main mode of transportation. But I am happy to report that we are having more and more "practice walking" throughout the day. Conni is perfectly capable of walking - she's great at catching her balance, and the other mechanics of it. But she is so cautious!

Yesterday specifically there were probably five instances in the afternoon after coming home from Grandma's for the day where Conni would stand herself up and walk two or three steps, then get down and crawl, or fall down, then get up and try again.

Conni refuses to play the "walk back and forth to mommi and daddy" game no matter what the incentive so far. I don't know how else to help her practice. However, she will grab my fingers throughout the day and have me help her walk, or she will grab her push toy and take of almost running. So I guess that's a start.

Overall, I am still grateful with Conni's developmental achievements. Having a niece with 1P36 Deletion Syndrome has really put things into perspective (she's five and finally walking on her own).

Hopefully by Thanksgiving Conni is an official toddler!

Family pic...

I love Conni's grin in this one. Thanks Aunt Steph for keeping her attention! And I must add that I made the trick-or-treat bag that's on Dave's lap. Look how domestic I can be!

Halloween...

Last night, we had our annual family Halloween get together. Conni was as cute as ever, and we got some cute pics and videos of her in her costume.

A word behind the idea for the costume: when Conni is very tired and doesn't want to get her bum changed or get in her pajamas, she is very squirmy. She seems to be all arms and legs. So we call her our little octopus. Then I saw the idea for this costume in a magazine and couldn't pass it up. Thanks to my mom for helping me figure it out and tying my bows!

Our little octopus!

We've been trying for a while to get a video of her waving. She has a very unique wave. My dad calls it "waving to her peasants". Its so cute!

Here's the octopus on the move.

I was worried that Conni would have a hard time crawling in the costume, or that she would want to pull all the bows, off, but she doesn't seem to worry about that.

Hopefully trick-or-treating goes this well on Saturday!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Peanut butter and cheese sandwiches...

Many of you know that I am a pretty picky eater. It is getting better as I get older. But there is one weird thing that I love to eat - open face peanut butter and honey sandwiches, with grated chedder cheese on top. How did I come across this you say? Well, one day when I was young I was having a pb&h open face sandwich. My dad was slicing cheddar cheese and offered me some. A piece fell on my sandwich and I thought, "hmm, I wonder how they taste together?" An instant success!

Well, all those who know of this concoction have always looked at me a little weird. Yesterday, my almost-six-year-old nephew Brad asked what could he fix that had cheese on top. I suggested my sandwich. He said it sounded interesting, but he'd try it later. Well, come to find out, that's what his two little brothers Bronson and Bridger had for dinner last night - and they loved it! My sister is so thrilled. Well, they always say Bronson tends to take after me... :)

First Steps!!!

Conni took her first steps! Last Friday night (the 16th) we were having dinner at a friend's house. One of our friends helped Conni get balanced on her feet, then ran away from her. :) Well, Dave was closer and she cautiously walked two steps to him!

Then a few minutes later, she was standing with me and took three steps to the coffee table to get her drink.

We were (obviously) ecstatic. Conni has taken the periodic step since then,, and we keep practicing to help her take more unaided steps.

All caught up...

Now I'm all caught up with the videos and pictures - for now. I know its a lot, but I hope you enjoy what Conni's been up to!

Quack quack - oh what was that?

Conni has found a new "easy chair". Hardly anything can get her out of it when she wants to sit and read. However, when she hears the "beep" of the microwave, she drops everything to go check it out.

Pasta Please?

We are transitioning Conni off baby food to table food. We are trying to serve her what we have for dinner each night. This night we had a pasta dish.

Conni and Mommi...

Here's our "company" manners:

Here's reality:

I know each one of you can relate!!! Ha Ha :)

Yes - No - Loves...

Conni got this pony for her birthday that crawls and says stuff. Rather than crawling along with it, Conni likes to pick it up and give it loves and cuddle it then throw it down. We were trying to get video of her cuddling it, and this is what we got.

Because I haven't said it enough yet, isn't she cute!!! (Sarah - that one's for you!)

Playing Peek-a-boo

I mentioned in one of my earlier posts how much Conni loves to play peek-a-boo. Daddy got the camera - but we couldn't figure out why its so yellowy - and I'm in the corner playing peek-a-boo with Conni while Dad records.

Isn't it so blasted cute!!!! And she gets this excited every time! She loves to play with us, her cousins, her bears, any one. When she has her blanket with her she will throw that over her face to play.

After church nap...

We have church from 11:00 - 2:00 - right in the middle of nap time. Conni is a pretty good sport and normally makes it through pretty well. Then when we get home from church its time for a quick bottle then to bed for a good nap. This particular week she fell asleep in Daddy's arms before she finished the bottle. I love her face in this one!

Go BYU...

Dave found Conni a BYU onesie to wear on game days...



The best part is my older sister found a U of U bib the other day that I'm going to put on Conni over the onesie for the big rivalry game. I wonder what Dave's reaction will be? He He!

Piano stories...

Many of you have seen my shiny black piano - one of my pride and joys. I'm obsessive about it! Here's two cute Conni stories...

For Christmas the year before I got married, my parents gave me the down payment on my piano. But, since they couldn't wrap the actual piano to put under the tree, my mom found this cute little kiddie piano to wrap instead. I've held onto it for eight years, and now its out for Conni to play.



We ended up taking the legs of it so Conni wouldn't pull it over on herself. But she still enjoys playing it!


Here's the other cute story :)

My piano has a shiny finish - when its all polished clean you can see yourself in it. As Conni comes down the hall from her room, she always sees the "other baby" in the piano reflection. She frequently will stop and say hello to the baby and give her kisses. It kills me that she licks my piano, but its so cute that it still just melts my heart. ;)

Catching Up...

I have a ton of stuff to post (lots of pictures) that I keep trying to get up. So while Conni's sleeping here's me trying to catch up...

Another reader...

I am excited to say our family has another reader in our midst. Dave and I absolutely love to read, and Conni has definetly inherited that. I just stood in the doorway to her room, unnoticed, and watched her pull books off her shelf until she found one she wanted. Then she sat down and "read" it, put it aside, and repeated the process.

Conni will frequently find one of her favorite books and bring it to Dave or me to read. She gets so excited too!

I hope I can continue to foster this trait in her and she will always love to disappear into a good book!

Behavioral Issues...

Conni has developed a habit of shoving her hand in her mouth and making herself gag - sometimes to the point of vomiting. It started around 11 months and comes and goes. At her one-year visit, her doctor told me it was a behavior thing she did for attention, and that she would out grow it. I haven't seen any other kids do this before.

Normally, with me, she does it when she's stuck in her high chair or her car seat and is frustrated. If I give her a drink that frequently distracts her. However, today when she was at Grandma's playing with all the kids she did it and made herself vomit. Luckily my mom can handle that and got it all cleaned up and is washing Conni's clothes for me :)

I am at a loss as to how to handle this. Lots of comments online say to just ignore the behavior or put something yucky tasting on their hands. I may try vinegar or something - I dunno yet. Any suggestions from someone who's dealt with this before?

Books...

David sent me the link to sign up for "shelfari" - a site that tracks the books you read, have read, and others are reading. That is the widget I've added down on the right - check out what I'm reading. :)

I'm still updating all the info - it will take a while to get on there everything I've read! I've also joined the ward book club so that has been fun too.

Anyway - the point being, if you have a great book I'd love suggestions! Most of you know I'm an avid book reader and I'm always looking for something new!

Happy Fall/Winter!

Connis cute things this week

I'm trying to do better about remembering the cute things Conni does. This is one of the better ways I am finding to remember as well as share. I'm sorry if this is becoming an "All About Conni" blog. But she is so cute I can't help but share!

Conni has been blessed with a love of books. She has story time each night, but throughout the day she will go into her room and pull her books off the bookshelf and "read" them. My favorite is when she finds a book and crawls over to me or David and climbs on our lap to have us read it to her. It is a special time that I know I will hold dear forever.

One cute thing Conni has started this week is brushing her hair! She found a "My Little Pony" brush and was chewing on it and Dave showed her how to brush her hair with it. She will also brush our hair, or her pony's hair, or her doll's hair, etc. I love to see her learning new skills and continue the increase in communication.

Bronson's Alphabet...

When I went to pick Conni up from Mom on Tuesday, Bronson was the only other one awake besides Conni. Mom was telling me that he's been learning sign language at school so we made the signs together for the few letters he has learned so far. We got stuck on "F" and I couldn't remember the sign. So my super smart nephew sits on the floor, puts his arms straight in front of him, and offsets them so his whole body makes the letter "F". He proceeds to tell me "Aunt Patti, this is how you make an F." Then we went through the rest of the alphabet and made the letters with our whole bodies! Whenever he couldn't figure out how to put his body, he would write the letter in the carpet and then we would work it out together. It was so much fun!

Time flies by...

So I realized it has been a month since my last quick photo post. So I figure its time for an update. While there are no "big" changes going on in our life, things continue to be busy and time keeps flying by.

Here's the "newest" and some fun things going on with each of us:

Dave: Dave stays busy as ever with work. Aside from the occasional late night and crazy deadline, he still really loves it. He works with great people and the corporate side of the company recognizes when the team meets these crazy deadlines.

Dave is now the scoutmaster in our ward. They had a camp this last Friday-Saturday out in the middle of no where building and launching rockets. They had a blast! (Get it - he he!)

As always, my sweet geek husband always has projects going on the side. When he has spare time, he is working on programming new products for Windows Mobile Phones. Hopefully he can find the time he needs to finish them!

Dave is a wonderful dad and always finds time for his girls. He is a wonderful support to me. It is so much fun to watch him play with Conni and help her learn and grow!


Patti: I am still working 12 hrs a week at Uphill and I am enjoying it. I miss being with Conni, yet I enjoy getting out of the house and the sense of accomplishment that comes with it. There are still stressful days, but I enjoy what I do and who I work with.

I am still the 2nd counselor in the Young Womens. I love it! I have the most supportive presidency and advisers and we have really great girls. I am grateful for the things they teach me and the opportunities I receive there.

I always have little projects going on at home. I try to find new things to do to keep myself busy so I can expand my "know how". I've started sewing more, but haven't branched out to clothes or anything yet. But, with my mom's help, we are going to make a simple costume for Conni for Halloween! I'll post pics - as long as it turns out :)

I love being a mom and I am always trying to find ways to be better. Its been a fun journey - I know I've made mistakes, but so far I don't think I've screwed anything up too badly!


Conni: Conni is, of course, adorable as ever! She still isn't walking on her own, but she is cruising along everything she can and getting braver every day. I am hoping I can help her be walking by Halloween! She loves to go up stairs, and we are working on coming back down safely. (I'm open to suggestions on this one!)

Conni is learning how to communicate and she is understanding my requests and questions. When its time to leave in the morning, I ask if she wants to go "Bye Bye", she will get down from our chair and crawl to the garage door - saying "Ba Ba" the whole time! She has lots of "ba" words, but I am starting to be able to tell the difference and use them in context. She waves to everyone, and has recently started blowing kisses! This has been such fun for me to finally be able to understand a little better what she wants, and she can understand what I am asking of her.

Conni loves her baby doll and stuffed animals. Every time she picks them up, however, she has to find their hand or paw and carry them this way. She will give them hugs ("loves") and will give us hugs and kisses too.

Conni's favorite game is peek-a-boo. She will cover her eyes and make her "where am I" sound and giggle. She also loves to play "beep the nose". She will pinch her nose and make a beeping sound, and then point to or pinch our nose and make the same sound. Then of course we all giggle. She also enjoys playing "follow the leader". She will crawl along, then stop and look back at us with an "are you coming?" expression. Then she crawls a few feet and looks back again until we are right with her.

One of Conni's favorite "toys" is the microwave. She loves it! When she is sitting in her high chair she will point and make the sound that means "microwave please." If she has been good we run it for 5-10 seconds and she gets so excited! Who knew kitchen appliances could entertain at such a young age. :)


I could keep going on with fun little stories like these but I won't. We are just enjoying life and watching Conni learn and grow daily. We are looking forward to the upcoming holidays and the time we get to be with family and friends.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support of my little family!

Family Pics and Conni's One Year pics

We got Conni's first year pics and family pics the day after Conni's bday. Here's my favorites from the batch. Some people have requested copies - if you want one, just send me an email and I'll print one off for you (Mom!)

Enjoy!

The Scary Penguin

Last year at one of my showers we got this this "Bat and Wobble Penguin". The top part is inflated and it makes noises and music when it wobbles. We pulled it out when Conni was about six months old and she was a little hesistant with it because the first time she hit it it came back and bonked her in the face. So, we've put it away and pulled it out off and on over the last six months. She has always been a little wary of it. Well, yesterday we pulled it out again and showed Conni. Dave and Conni were down on the floor and I was sitting in the recliner. As soon as Conni saw it she turned and made a beeline for me. She pulled herself up on the recliner and all but tried to jump into my arms. She was whimpering and then started to hyperventilate. Her little heart was just racing! We couldn't get her fully calmed back down until Dave took the penguin out to the kitchen.

Then this morning, she could see the penguin while I was feeding her breakfast. She kept pointing at it and whimpering. I finally took it out to the car and she settled down to eat breakfast.

So for now the penguin is at Grandma's house for the cousins to have fun with. Hopefully watching the older kids play with it will help Conni overcome her fear.

Learning to Walk

My family is so helpful. They are trying to help Conni learn to walk. She's getting the hang of it, but still needs practice.

Stephanie is helping Justine call Conni from the left, and Sarah is helping Conni on the right.

Here's a cute video of the family help.

Swimming

We went swimming at my sister's pool a week or so ago. Its not heated, but it had been a nice day so we thought it would be ok. Well, the water wasn't quite as warm as we thought it would be. And there was a breeze. So, Conni didn't much care for the whole experience. It was fun though, and Sarah's boys enjoyed having Conni over. If it were warmer I think that she would have had a lot of fun. We are hoping for a really hot day soon so that we can try again. But here's a pic of us having fun and Conni crying about the whole thing. :)

Conni's Birthday

I can't believe my baby is one year old! I am excited to say that Conni is very happy and healthy and thoroughly enjoyed her first birthday. We are especially greatful for all the love and support from all the family and friends. Here's a little bit about what we did with some fun pics.

We started out the day (after breakfast and getting ready) with presents. Conni did ok with them - she didn't completely grasp the concept of tearing the paper. So Mommi and Dad helped her open them. Here's what she got from her parents:


After opening presents, we loaded up and headed to Hogle Zoo. Conni has really been enjoying animals and since we got her the Fisher Price Zoo I guess this was kind of our "theme" for the day.

Conni did really well. She enjoyed being in her stroller and watching the people and the animals. She was very mellow and laid back thru the whole thing. She actually preferred to stay in the stroller than to be held and shown the animals.

Hogle Zoo now has a carousel. We paid the $2 for her to ride and went on. She was ok at first - patting the kangaroo and waving at Daddy. But once we started going around and up and down she started to get very nervous. She insisted on being held and wanted to get off.

Once we got home from the zoo Conni took a nap and then played the rest of the day with her new toys and Mommi and Dad.

The next day we had the extended family over for cake and ice cream. For the big family cake we got a "My Little Pony" cake. Harmons also gives a free "smash" cake for first birthdays - you'll see whats left of it in the later pictures. :)

Here's a super cute picture of Conni sitting on Grandma Bonnie's lap. She refused to keep a bow in her hair, but we still love it!

Here's a fun picture of Conni and Mommi at the party with family.

Conni loved her cake! Once we put it in front of her, she took one finger and scooped off some frosting and ate it. Then she dove in for more. I smashed her hand in to see that there was something under the frosting and she very much enjoyed that. Then Aunt Michelle helped her get some on her face and tummy. As you can see - she totally got into it :)

After a quick bath, it was time to open presents. Again, Conni was somewhat hesitant about ripping the paper, so Mommi and Daddy helped.

This pic is just to show you how much she's grown. We were inside playing with toys and she wandered over to the gate.

Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Kerry gave Conni a Leap Frog ride-on train. She loved it! Aunt Michelle helped her get her feet and she was pushing it all over the front room. Since then she has been pushing it, riding it, and climbing over it and getting more and more stable. I'm sure we'll have a walker on hands soon enough!

Once again, we are so greatful for all the friends and family that have helped us figure out this parenting thing thus far. Much thanks for the gifts Conni got - she is very spoiled - I mean well loved. :)

Here's to another wonderful year!

Cinch Packs

A little while ago I mentioned I was sewing cinch packs for girls' camp. It was a little bit of work using this particular fabric, but I think they turned out pretty good! I made a total of 30 bags, then had them embroidered at work. The girls loved them! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this sewing thing.....

Six Songs Collide...

I was sharing the Jon Schmidt "Love Story meets Viva la Vida" with a friend at work and she showed me this link. Its awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JKKl95Ttrc

(ps - I'm still trying to get stuff up from Conni's bday!)

Fishes Family Home Evening

Last Monday my sister invited us over for FHE. The lesson (from Grandma) was "We are greatful Heavenly Father gave us fish." After the lesson, we took the girls outside in their swimsuits and had goldfishes for them to play with. Conni was more interested in the swimming pool than the fish. But she did like it when Daddy caught them. Once Tini got into it she loved holding (and squeezing!) the fish!

Catching goldfish

Chillin' with the fish

The girls in their swimsuits

The bulb syringe

Most babies hate to have the noses sucked with the blue bulb syringe. Ever since Conni was born it hasn't bothered her at all. In fact, after her bath tonight the overly-tired Conni was due for a "treatment" with the bulb syringe. It soothed her and she was giggling while Dad cleared out her nose. Then she fussed when he put it away!

I love the quirks of children!

Tribute to Google Maps, GPS, and Smartphones...

I have a bunch of stuff to add about girls camp and cute things Conni has done - but this was too funny not to put up...

The day began bright and early at 5:00 am (ok, 5:45). We dressed, reviewed directions to Preston, ID, and headed out for nephew Dalton's baptism. We made great time and arrived early. So early in fact that we couldn't find anyone we knew and were worried we had the wrong place. However, the stake primary lady reasurred us Dalton was on the program, and shortly thereafter the rest of the family arrive.

The meeting was very nice and Dalton was very handsome and excited. After the meeting, we had a nice lunch at the park across the street from Jessica and Justin's. Then it was time to go home. Here's where the story gets good.

We had loaded up the car and said our goodbyes and I asked Dave if he needed directions from his father. He said "no, that's why we have Google maps. We'll be fine." So I typed Jessica's address in Google maps and requested directions home. We should have known we were off to a fine start when at the very first turn, I said, "turn left, I think. These directions don't match this street." (Now I must note, we weren't going home the same way we came.)

We were going along just fine, things looking vaguely familiar, when we arrived in Clarkston. Well, silly Clarkston's roads don't have the same names as Google maps. I hadn't been able to get a GPS signal, so after turning around twice, we stopped into a very lovely driveway to find a stupid GPS signal. The GPS led us down a small country lane, with promises of arriving at I-15 within oh about 10 short miles. Little did we know those 10 short miles were on a gravel road over the blasted mountain! We drove thru a small grazing cattle herd on either side of our little trail. The hills were better than Lagoon. We just prayed it was right and we wouldn't end up in the middle of no where and run out of gas!

Finally, I-15 appeared on the map, but we were still on a gravel road. We passed the very small town of Plymouth and miraculously found a paved road and the on-ramp.

For the most part we were able to keep our sense of humor and enjoy the fields of sagebrush and some random, albeit thriving yellow flower.

To the good folks at Google maps - please review small town road names in Idaho (or was it Utah?)! To whoever invented GPS and smartphones - thank you!

[We were obviously a little loopy by the time we hit Ogden and starting writing our tale, so forgive us our silliness.]

Girls Camp and condolences...

Hi everyone! I am back from girls camp today and loved it! I have lots of stories to tell, but right now I'm just digging thru my inbox while Conni and Dave are supposed to be napping. I'll post as I have time!

Thoughts and prayers go out to Michelle and her family with the loss of her grandma this week.

Also for my piano teacher and friend Kathy and her family who lost her dad this week.

Both have moved on to be reunited with loved ones, but will still be missed by those in their lives.

Remembering Aiden, Braxton, and Caleb

I'm sorry its been a while since I've posted. I've been busy chasing Conni and getting things ready for girls camp.

I did just want to take a minute and post in memory of my perfect nephews: Aiden, Braxton, and Caleb. Its been four years since they stopped so briefly here on earth. We love you and miss you!

Just in time for summer...

... guess who's mobile

Sewing

Lately I have been in the mood to branch out a little on my projects. I am a beginner to moderate sewer so I feel relatively comfortable behind a sewing machine. I found some fabric that was the perfect color pink for Conni's room with a fun eyelet pattern. So, I bravely decided to make curtains!

This fabric had finished edges, so I was able to cut down the length and have my scalloped edge. Then I just finished the rest it and Dave hung the curtain rod for me.

I know it is a simple thing, but I am most proud of this because this is the first thing that I sewed 100% by myself - without having mom there "just in case". In fact, now that they are done, I'm going to tell mom I made them!

Now I am excited to sew more - and in fact, mom and I will be making cinch packs for young women's camp this next week. Go me!!!

Finding her voice

Conni has found her voice recently. She has been jabbering more and more. She has such a fun personality that we wanted to share. She can still be shy with some of you so you haven't had a chance to see this side of her. :)

This video is off Daddy's phone so the color looks a little off. But this is Conni and Daddy hanging out.

(Sorry its kind of long - I couldn't find any software to edit an .mp4)

Spots update...

Its only been a few days and this new steroid medicine seems to be working for Conni's spot. Unfortunately, her skin is still super itchy - poor girl. Hopefully the laundry updates and the new soap, etc will get a handle on that soon!!

What a relief to finally figure this out!

"Can I have spots for $500 please Alex?"

Sometime back in April we noticed a spot on Conni's shoulder about the size of a quarter, but stretched to an oval. It was pink and kinda scaly. With my family's history of psoriasis, we thought that's what it was and decided to keep an eye on it. We tried putting some cortisone cream and lotion on it, but nothing really made a difference. Then it got more red and Conni started to itch at it. So David took her to the doctor and he said it was a fungal infection like ringworm.

Ringworm! How could my little girl have ringworm! I don't keep the cleanest house in the neighborhood, but its not yucky! We got a prescription for an anti-fungal cream that we put on her shoulder twice a day. The doctor said it could take four to six weeks to get rid of it.

Well, this didn't really do much for it. And to top it off, Conni would dig at it. We had to watch her all the time to keep her hand down from her shoulder. After six weeks, Conni had her ten month check up. At that point, this spot was the same size, still scaly, red, and now it was oozy and crystal-ish - kinda like honey. (I know, gross). The doctor said it had gotten infected (wasn't it already though?) from her scratching it and gave us an oral antibiotic. "Use this for ten days" he said "and that should help".

The antibiotic helped with the oozy and honey stuff. But the original red spot was still there.

So - long story short (too late) I took Conni to a dermatologist this morning. Come to find out she has eczema and really sensitive skin! The dermatologist thinks this spot started out as a dry patch of skin, moved on to eczema, then elevated to aggravated eczema (or some medical term I don't remember).

Now we have another cream to use to get the spot under control - this one is a steroid - and we had to get some eucerin lotion. I have to put it on Conni all the time - and if you know how much I "love" lotion you'll know I'm excited for that part! I have to change her body wash too - so no more smelling like a sweet baby!

Then we have a follow up in four weeks to see how its coming. Hopefully this will get it all cleared up so my poor little girl won't be suffering any more. I do know that medically, things could be much worse for her (she doesn't suffer from anything permanent like some family members we have). But I still feel bad that she is uncomfortable and in pain and can't communicate it to me.

Hopefully this is the right answer and we can get her skin all pretty again...

Simple Pleasures

Conni loves to play the "laughing" game. She will laugh, then I will laugh, then she will laugh, etc. It normally starts out just making the "ha ha" sound, but soon enough we are both truly laughing.

I never thought I would find such joy in such a simple pleasure. The sound of her laugh can brighten my day and make it all worth it. I love to watch her explore her world. She will laugh almost every time she sees her bear "dance" or something simple like that.

I love being a mom!

Conni's Pasta Salad

We're trying to expose Conni to new foods with different tastes and textures. Today she expressed great interest in the pasta salad I was making. She's had pasta before and liked it, so we gave her a taste of this one. Not too surprising, she enjoyed it - even with the italian dressing on it! She kept trying to put her hands in the bowl as I was mixing it so Dave sat down and fed her some. She also likes tomatoes and cucumbers.

We are so blessed that we have a good eater! If you want to try it, here's the recipe for the pasta salad. (It's not mine - I got it out of a ward cookbook Michelle gave me - thanks Michelle!)

Conni's Pasta Salad

1 package spiral pasta noodles (colorful)
1 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
1 cucumber
1 can sliced olives
1-2 tomatoes
1 can cooked chicken

Cook pasta and let cool. Dice cucumber and tomatoes. Mix all ingredients together and add dressing as desired.

Eating on her own...

David and I decided that it was time to start weaning Conni for a variety of reasons. The two biggest ones are her top teeth have come in (can I just say "Ouch!") and I'm looking forward to spending a week at girls camp this summer.

We've just starting this recently and Conni only has one bottle a day. (We're working on getting her used to a sippy cup too, so she has a bottle with handles right now).

Today she wanted to play so I had her bottle on the floor with us until she decided she was ready to eat. She rolled over and got it, and this is how she decided to eat.

Playing with her blanket...

This was just too cute not to post...