My Baby is One

My little baby turned one this month. This is the first time I have had a child turn one without being pregnant with another child. Weird. I adore Renee. Here are some things I've noticed about her this first year.

1. Renee loves to smile. She has such a sweet and beautiful smile. She started smiling at a very young age (around three weeks).
2. Renee loves her siblings. They are the only ones who make her really laugh. She always has a smile for them.
3. Renee was born with a mole on the top of her head. She makes it look beautiful.
4. Renee has two different size pupils.
5. Renee loves to be held. I spend most of my day holding her because she does not last long when she is not being held.
6. Renee enjoys playing in her jumperoo and her exersaucer, but not for too long. She loves to jump up and down.
7. Renee loves to chew on things. If she can get it in her hand, it will go into her mouth.
8. Renee is tough. She takes a lot of hits from her siblings but usually takes it without complaint.
9. Renee loves mommy best (as do most infants). She lights up when she sees my face, which makes my heart feel super happy.
10. Renee also loves daddy. She’s always glad to see him.
11. Renee hates being in her car seat. She is very unhappy on car rides.
12. Renee likes to be thrown up in the air. Some of our babies were scared of this but she just smiles.
13. You can look into Renee’s eyes and just tell that she is so smart. She definitely knows how to tell you if she does or does not like something.
14. Renee started walking at about 11 months old. She is the youngest of our kids to start walking.
15. Renee does not like to eat. She practically has to be forced to drink a bottle and won’t often eat people food. She is just too busy.
16. Renee is beautiful. People constantly stop me when we’re out in public to tell me how beautiful she is. I can only agree.
17. Renee’s favorite food right now is popcorn. It is one thing I don’t have to force her to eat.
18. Renee is independent. She does not like to be forced to do things and likes to go off on her own and explore.
19. Renee didn’t start using a binky until she was 10 months old. She took to it quickly though and loves it.
20. Renee can only say mama, and she only says it when she's crying.
21. Renee LOVES dolls. She hugs them and carries them around. She is such a sweet little mommy.
22. Renee is such a sweet and adorable baby. She brings so much joy to our family and I’m glad she’s ours.

More Visitors - Yay!

Just a few weeks after having a baby, Tami came up to visit with all her kids and brought my mom and Shana along with her. It was SO much fun to have them. My kids and I still talk about what a great time we had and how much we wish they could stay. The only reason I don't like Utah is because my family lives in Phoenix. It would be so ideal if they just moved up here because there is so much for young families to do. Here are some pictures of the fun times we had together. Thanks for coming Tami, Mom, and Shana! I know it was a tough trip but it was so much fun!

Summer Fun

We have been enjoying the Utah summer. We go to the park every Wednesday and catch butterflies and play with kids in the ward. We also go to the Dinosaur Park, Union Station Museum, and Treehouse Museum just about every week. It has been a lot of fun going on our little field trips together. It has been a really fun summer! I adore my kids! I love spending time with them. I am so blessed!

Kids, kids, kids...

A few more cute pics of the kids taken this last Sunday.

Phoenix

So, we made a trip down to Phoenix a few weeks back. I drove down with all four kids by myself (can you tell how badly I missed my family?). The trip wasn’t too bad but the night before we left I was having serious anxiety about traveling that long a distance with four tiny kids, one still nursing. But we made it and I’m so glad we went. I’m always so sad to have to miss all the family events happening so I was happy to be down there for two baby blessings. It was so fun to spend time with family and so hard to come back. Lewis and I always talk about how we want to move back to Phoenix. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Happy Family

Just a few recent shots of the family. I really do love this family of mine.

Sweet Sisters

Our boys seem to be going against our better judgement…

Two more of my gorgeous girls.

Happy Birthday Ash!

Well Ashley is now two years old and it’s hard to believe how fast time can fly by. Ashley had a pretty typical birthday for a little girl, filled with lots of pink and purple, glitz and glamor. I think she had a good day though it’s tough to tell from any of the pictures. Her birthday was also the first full day with no binky and that evening wa no different. She has now gone a full 24 hours without it and it really has suprised us how easily it happened. So now she is two and although her behavior has proved the 2 year old sterotype as of late, we still adore her and are both blessed and grateful that she is a part of our lives.