Just an update....

Well I can't really say that life has been boring (a lot of things have been happening) but I guess I could say that everyday life is pretty monotonous. So..... I've decided to just update the blog with what's going on with our little, but growing, family.

LILY: is now a crawler! Just a month ago I was telling my parents, "I don't think she's ever going to crawl. She just can't get her knees under her." But on Saturday we spent the whole day in Idaho Falls so she must have been tired of the lack of playtime..... so as soon as we walked in the door I changed her into her little swimsuit that we had just bought her, put her on the floor, and she just crawled away! I wish I would have gotten it on camera -- it was a pretty memorable moment watching my infant crawl for the first time in a swimsuit in February and in Rexburg. Anyway, she also climbs now. She'll latch onto the bars in her crib and just climb her way up. Just last night we had a hard time getting her to sleep because she would randomly start crying and we would go to her room to find that she was standing up in her crib and couldn't figure out how to get down. Oh dear. She likes to climb drawers too. Not good. As for teeth Lily now has 5 1/2. I say that because one has been ready to pop out for a good 3 weeks now and still hasn't broken the gums yet. But her smile is infectious because she has a gap between her two front teeth. She will be a heartbreaker when she has a full smile! But my favorite update about Lily is that she now knows how to kiss! We found this out at the begining of February but she would only give kisses to Ben's mom! Of course Ben and I felt totally jipped! But now she gives us tons of kisses everyday (it never seems to be enough though...). She'll sit in my lap, look at my face and pull it toward her and plant a kiss right on my cheek. Sigh. Being a mommy is the best....

BEN: is sooooo ready to be done with school. I think we'll start counting down the days until April 9th pretty soon. Ben's overly ready to be a part of the business world instead of the school world. He loves his new job (which we are thankful to have) and actually looks forward to going to work now.

HEATHER: Well all I can say is "happy 2nd trimester!" I wish I could whip out virgin daquiris and party hats for everyone because I'm over the morning sickness!!!! YAY! I think Ben's more relieved about that more than anyone because he doesn't have to deal with my myriad of complaints about not being able to eat taco bell everyday (the spicier the food, the better....yum!) Ben and I are calling this pregnancy the "turkey timer" pregnancy because at the begining of February I started showing majorly when I hadn't been showing at all before. We find out March 18th whether we're having a boy or a girl. I'm happy to say that this baby is totally healthy! There are still some concerns about my pregnancy but we'll find out whether we need to keep worrying about that after they do some more blood tests at my next visit.

Not too shabby for 16 weeks...

Auntie Becca's Visit!

Ben, Lily, and I were really lucky because my sister Becca came up for the long weekend. We had fun on Valentines day: we went bowling, then out for ice cream, and Ben made us a really yummy steak dinner.... oh and of course he brought home some flowers! But it was a great weekend overall because Becca was here. I think Lily's going to go through depression this week now that Becca's gone......

Lily's never been much of a cuddlebug, but she really started cuddling with Auntie Becca.

Lily slept on her stomach for the first time yesterday and she woke up with one side of her face all sweaty and red!

Lily was cuddling with me in Auntie Becca's bed.

More cuddles....

We'll miss you Auntie Becca!

Lily has never once rejected any kind of food. She likes some more than others but she'll eat ANYTHING. This was her first time eating spinach. :)

One more movie of her with the door springy thingy.

Precious Moments

So we're having a special weekend because my sister Becca decided to come up to Rexburg for the long weekend. Today has been quite an exciting day for Lily at home. I'll do another post one our valentines day but for now I just wanted to add a couple of movies.

Lily's New Toy...... :)

We are cruel parents. But we just can't let her eat as much as she wants......

Magazines and Contests....

So if you're a mommy and interested in what it would look like to have your baby make a magazing cover go to http://www.parenting.com/article/Toddler/Activities/Make-Your-Own-Parenting-Magazine-Cover .


And while you're at it enter your baby into the Beautiful Baby Contest.... I mean what does it hurt? The grand prize is 125 grand towards a college education and the next 4 winners split 100 grand. So why not?! http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/contests/babies09/index.html
But if you want to enter this contest the last day is Feb. 13th! So get moving!

Flashback

I have ALWAYS loved Valentines Day. I think this is because I looked forward to trading valentines at school and whenever I got home from school my mom would have some candy and a little present waiting for us. I think another reason why it's one of the best days of the year is because I never felt that it was really a romantic day-just a day about love, no matter who you love. But in this post I would like to share the story of my all-time favorite Valentines Day:

6 years ago I was a freshman in high school (ok you have the right to laugh and make fun of me now since I'm currently working on having baby #2). I had no idea what was coming my way that year. Things were really tough in my life at that point from every direction. Well here's some backup info: I've always been in love with cute furry little animals. Is it covered in fur? Does it make cute noises? Weigh less than 10 lbs? Yes? I probably have a picture of it in one of those numerous collages I've made somewhere... not kidding. But my ultimate dream was of having a cute dog. Neither of my parents had ever had a dog and I think my dad has used WAY too much patience on the rest of the family since we've probably had every kind of animal in the house besides a dog.

Well one day a little before Valentines Day I came home from a Young Women's activity. I was a little upset because my mom, dad, and Becca all seemed to be keeping some sort of secret from me. I was starting to get really miffed. Anyway, out of the blue my mom told me to go to her desk. She apparently had a picture of a puppy for my "puppy collage" (pathetic I know..... but a girl's gotta dream!). I picked up the picture and honestly said, "oh my gosh. This is the CUTEST puppy I've ever seen in my life." To which my mom said, "good, because she's your puppy. We're bringing her home in a couple of weeks." I will do my best to describe my reaction.... although a movie of this would have made it much better...... I instantly started screaming and running around the kitchen until I collapsed on the floor and started bawling. Leave it to me to never make a reaction without a pinch of drama. I was sooooo excited! The picture that my parents showed me is right above this post.

My parents had already named her Mia (because in Spanish it means "mine") and we eventually were able to pick her up from the breeder (she's half maltese half toy poodle) once she weighed 1 lb. That is one of my all-time fondest memories. She fit in my hands as we drove home and I skipped school the next day just so I could be with her. To this day she sleeps in bed with me whenever I go home (although now she likes to cuddle with Ben instead of me.... ouch).

So I'm not trying to say that in order for me to have a wonderful Valentines Day I need a big present like a puppy. For me, that was the best Valentines Day I've had because my parents really sacrificed to get me that puppy. I really felt loved that day for that reason. And to me, that's what Valentines Day is all about.

So Mia was my baby for so many years, but now I have a much cuter baby who is adored much more and is far more precious. I'm so grateful I get to spend this Valentines Day with my wonderful hubby and daughter-because that's what love is all about.

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