Brandon, Christy, & Abbie

Abbie Cadabby

2012-01-27T11:51:00.004-07:00

Well we haven't been up to much out of the ordinary. Abbie is as cute (and busy) as ever, Brandon as busy as ever, and me as bored as ever :) (Just kidding about the bored part, although I do get bored sometimes) I am busy too. Watching 2 babies most days keeps me pretty busy.

Last weekend for Heather's birthday we went to Planet Play. Abbie enjoyed the yummy buffet as much as the rest of us. And we enjoyed playing games.

Abbie is getting to be a fan of noodles

Abbie loves to pull things out and make messes. I have had to tape some of our cupboards shut- not the best solution. Don't those wipes look yummy? The only time she gets away with it is when I am pumping.

She still loves daddy. Whenever he is home she wants to be with him. Seriously she won't leave his side.

So cute! Abbie loves books. But not when we read to her- well actually we don't read to her very much anymore because she wants to hold the book and play with the pages. Good thing we have some board books.

She pretty much entertains me all day long :) Check out some of the funny noises she makes.

One other exciting thing- or at least it is to me. Abbie didn't freak out when the vacuum was on this morning. Yay! That is a huge milestone.

Movies

2012-01-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute videos of Abbie.
Because we live in an apartment we haven't had to worry about stairs. When we were at my in-laws' this past weekend Abbie found a new fun thing to do: climb the stairs.
She went and did this several times :)

On Monday because everyone was out of school for the holiday we decided to go swimming. The best part was watching Abbie- she had a great time!

Another walking video. She just keeps getting better at it. Now she walks more than she crawls. She is also getting good at turning/ changing direction without falling over. And, she seriously loves her toothbrush :)

Oh, I've been meaning to put this up for a while. Our first professional family photo.
It was taken at the beginning of December. Brandon had to tickle Abbie to get her to smile :)

Peace and Quiet book

2012-01-09T13:36:00.001-07:00

Ok, so here it is. Some pages I copied from someone else, some I got the idea from someone else and then modified it, and some I came up with on my own. Also, on each page I listed the scripture reference so maybe when she is older she can look up and read the story too.
So, enjoy!

I finally finished the cover over the weekend. I decided it was necessary to make one to help keep the book together :)

The Tree of Life

You can snap on and off the fruit and put them in the basket

Put on the Armor of God

The pieces of armor are stored in the red pocket. You can match them to their shapes where it tells what the pieces represent or you can dress up the guy.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies bury their weapons

The people can be taken off and the ground flap can open. In the flap are the weapons attached with string.

Noah's Ark

Noah's ark is a pocket and inside are Noah and animal finger puppets.

"Follow me, I will make you fishers of men"

The fish are attached to the water by yarn and you can put the fish in the net.

Jonah and the Whale

Jonah stays inside the whale, but you can get him out to play with.

Daniel in the lion's den

You can open and close the cage doors. You can also braid the lion's tail.

Lehi sails to the Promised Land

You can move the boat along the blue pipe cleaner.

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

You can unbutton the flowers and take the fruit off the tree.

Baby Moses is sent down the river in a basket

Baby Moses can snap on and off and you can weave the pieces to make a basket.

I realize many of the pages are more advanced, but I did that on purpose because I want it to last and be used for a long time. For the time being Abbie enjoys playing/eating the people and things that come off and she likes playing with the fishes.

10 months

2012-01-07T18:31:00.002-07:00

Well, here we are; another month has gone by. Abbie is now 10 months old. Double digits! Sometimes I think back and try to remember what she was like when she was younger, but it's hard to imagine her any other way than how she is now. Good thing I keep up this blog :)

Abbie can now successfully walk. But, just because she can doesn't mean she does. She still prefers crawling, probably because right now it's faster for her. I am sure soon enough she will be running :)

She sure is a busy girl! She is really good at entertaining herself and is always busy finding new 'toys' and places to go- not that there are that many places to go in our little apartment. She is also really good at remembering where things are. She loves to go to the bathroom and into our bedroom. In Brandon's words she is a 'crazy pants'.

Any time anyone has food, she sure zips over quickly to get as many bites as possible. She is still eating baby solids mainly, but has tried many different big kid foods too. She pretty much snacks all day long :) Good thing she is a mover. She's not really gaining much weight. I think she is about 21 1/2 lbs. Which means she has pretty much outgrown her baby car seat in weight (and length). So, today while we were out we got a new one that she will be able to use until she is done needing one.

She is still sleeping through the night. Hallelujah! She goes down for the night around 7pm and gets up around 7am. We are currently transitioning from 3 naps to 2 naps during the day. She is so good at going down to sleep, usually no crying or fighting me. On the other hand, she is terrible if Brandon puts her down. I think she has learned that I will not get her out because she is crying, Brandon will. He wants to be the nice one, and it's working. She will almost always choose him over me. Yep, she is becoming a daddy's girl.

(It took many pictures to finally get a good one. She couldn't sit still long enough, and when she did she wouldn't look at the camera. )

Some other things to note.
*She has 3 1/2 teeth- meaning 3 teeth that you can see, and one that has barely cut through
*She wears size 12 month - 18 month clothes
*She has enough long hairs to put in a little, tiny ponytail on the top of her head
*She has the cutest laugh and loves to play peek-a-boo

We feel so lucky to be her parents. She is such a blessing. We love you Abbie!

Bring It 2012!

2012-01-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

We celebrated bringing in the new year by go bowling with my family on new year's eve afternoon. It was so fun because they had the lights off and cool retro lights going- which Abbie loved. And they gave us party favors and hats plus pizza and drinks. Afterwards we went home, put Abbie to bed and had our own little party. We watched a movie and stayed up til midnight.

I think this year is going to be a good year. Things are going to change and I am excited for it. Brandon will finish school and get a job (hopefully!) and we will probably be moving back to Salt Lake- most likely into Brandon's parents' basement apartment.

Til then, we have gotten back to our normal routine. I thought Christmas break might have ruined Abbie's sleeping routine, but thankfully it has mostly gotten back to normal. Brandon started classes yesterday and is excited to just get them done- he thinks it will be a pretty easy semester. I am trying to get used to him being gone again, and getting things done at home. I am also going to continue baby-sitting Isaac during this semester.

Oh, and because I thought this was super cute: Daddy and Abbie brushing their teeth :)

The Best of 2011

2011-12-31T20:53:00.001-07:00

January:

Brandon reached his halfway mark through law school

Christy spent a lot of time substitute teaching

February:

Counted down the days til our sweet Abbie was born

March:

Abbie was born on the 7th - definitely the best thing that happened during the year!

Brandon turned a quarter of a century (25)

April:

Christy officially graduated from BYU in Elementary Education

May:

Not much- Abbie got cuter

Oh, Abbie went to the Zoo for the first time

June:

Abbie's first camping trip

House-sat for a few weeks

July:

Park City vacation

Christy turned a whopping 23

August:

Celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary

Moved apartments- cheaper and smaller

September:

Brandon started his last year of law school

Abbie sat up by herself

October:

Abbie's first Halloween, dressed as a darling unicorn

Abbie learned to crawl

November:

Thanksgiving with family

Abbie started sleeping through the night!

December:

Abbie's first Christmas

Abbie took her first (hesitant) steps

Well it was a pretty good year.
Here's hoping to a great 2012!

Christmas Day

2011-12-30T11:05:00.001-07:00

We got home late Christmas Eve and were exhausted. Before going to bed I finished wrapping (can you say procrastination?) and then organized the presents into piles on our living room floor. I had a hard time falling asleep because I was giddy with excitement for the morning.

Abbie woke us up at about 7:15, her normal wake up time. Brandon fed her breakfast while I pumped and then we were ready to open presents. We put Abbie in the middle of the room away from the presents because we wanted to see what she would do. It didn't take her long to figure out which pile was hers because of the big fluffy bear :)

She seriously loves that bear! At first she didn't get the whole unwrapping idea, but with a little help she enjoyed finding the treasures inside the paper. Surprisingly she liked her toys more than the wrapping paper.

This is Abbie opening the quiet book I made her. Trust me when I say it took a lot of hours to finish. But I am very proud of it, and Abbie enjoyed playing with it at church. I will probably do another post about the book later.

Abbie got the bear, a couple of toys from the DI (I cleaned them up of course), and a couple of books.

Brandon got a couple of video games, a yo-yo, and a sorry game.

I got a new wedding ring (finally!!!), a couple of puzzles, and some clothes.

It seriously was so fun watching Abbie. She had a blast. After opening our presents, we got ready for church and put Abbie down for a quick nap. I made some yummy green Christmas tree waffles and sausage.

After church we headed up to Salt Lake for the day. Our first stop was the Crowthers. Abbie got a cute little car that came with a handle so I can push her on walks. Brandon and I got a couple of awesome board games.

The next stop was Grandpa Crowther. He got Abbie a book and us a game. (Can you tell we like to play games?)

Our last stop was my family's house. Abbie got some lego blocks, a princess chair, and a doll. I got a sewing machine and shoes. Brandon got a video game and a movie.

Anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas. We feel so loved. And we are most grateful this season for our Savior who came to this earth and atoned and died for us.
We hope you all had a great Christmas too!

Looking forward to Christmas

2011-12-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

We spent the week before Christmas and after finals having fun and counting down to Christmas day. Here are some of the fun things we did.

We went to Breanna's Christmas dance performance. I love going to dance concerts so naturally I loved it.

Sunday we went to the Cottonwood Heights production of The Messiah. My mom and Janessa are in it every year, and every year it is fantastic. It's a great way to remember Christ.

We went to look at the lights on Temple Square. We were lucky- it was supposed to storm that day but didn't, so the weather was nice.

Nielsen Christmas party. Santa came to visit and we had a Christmas dinner with all the family there. We always look forward to this every year. Abbie especially enjoyed finding and eating a candy cane and playing with the older kids.

One night Brandon's mom had everyone over for a nice Christmas dinner. Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures. We gave our secret buddy gifts and played a bunch of games. It was lots of fun!

We went to my family's house for our traditional Christmas Eve. We had a yummy dinner, opened our Christmas pj's, gave secret sister gifts, read the Christmas story, and enjoyed being together as a family. Abbie wasn't really into the whole opening presents thing.

Just wishing you...

2011-12-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

a Merry Christmas!!!

more christmas countdown

2011-12-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the Christmas countdown activities that we have done recently:

* Watched a Christmas movie

* Looked at Christmas lights. This house was seriously amazing- this picture is only a small part.

* Had yummy hot chocolate

* Read “Maybe Christmas Doesn’t Come From a Store” by Jeffrey R. Holland.

* Made Christmas treats. These are so yummy- peanut blossoms with peppermint candy kisses.

* Went to the Forgotten Carols. I grew up loving the book, and music. Now I love the play too.

* Made Christmas tree ornaments

* Read “What is Christmas?” by President Thomas S. Monson.

* Watched Frosty The Snowman

And of course some cute Abbie pictures:

I found her sleeping like this one day. It was pretty funny because that is certainly not how I put her in there. I wonder what she must have been doing before she conked out :)

At Costco the other day we found this super cute bear and Abbie immediately fell in love with it. So we got it for her for Christmas. She loves hugging her animals :)

Oh, and here is our countdown til the end of finals: 2 more tests (and 1 more semester for Brandon of course)

Yay, can't wait til he can be stress free and enjoy Christmas break!

You know you want some!

2011-12-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

Every year my mom comes up with a gift to give to all the teachers at her school. This year we came up with some cute JOY blocks. They really turned out great and everyone loved them. So, we decided we would try our hand at making and selling them. So, you should check out our shop! Oh, and if you are local, contact me directly to save on postage. We are also planning on expanding, so if you have some other word you might like, leave a comment and we will look in to it.

9 months

2011-12-07T15:13:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it?

Today we went to Abbie's 9 month checkup. Here are her stats.

Weight: 20 lbs 5 oz (77th percentile)

Height: 29.4 in (96th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17.25 in (46 percentile)

She is still very tall, and is thinning out a little. This comes as a bit of a surprise because this girl sure can and does eat a lot. But she is also very active- I guess it is paying off. :)

I am happy to report that she has been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now. Letting her cry it out that one night sure paid off. She usually gets up around 7am about the time we like to get up, so it's perfect. She has 3 pretty regular naps during the day, unless I throw her off her schedule. Getting her to fall asleep is not much of a pain anymore. Usually she will go down with out a fight, sometimes she will cry for a few minutes. Don't get me wrong we still have those days where everything is off, but it is so much better now.

As mentioned before, Abbie likes to eat. She has 3 meals a day of baby solids plus milk, a couple of snack times of milk, and then most of the time she bugs us while we eat and so gets some of our food. Plus I think she could eat an endless supply of cheerios. The doctor assured us that this was fine- supposedly babies are smart and will stop when they aren't hungry. Also, she has 2 teeth now, both on the bottom. They aren't fully in yet, but she sure puts them to use.

Every moment she is awake she is moving around (unless sick or super tired). There is no sitting nicely on my lap or anything like that. She can stand without holding onto anything, but only for a few seconds before she gracefully lowers herself to the ground. I think it scares her. She explores everywhere and finds everything. I end up cleaning the living room floor several times a day. I also try to keep the bathroom door closed because for some reason that is her favorite place. As you can imagine, changing her diaper is quite a challenge. The trick we've learned is to do it while she is drinking her bottle or eating something with her hands- like cheerios. (Seriously, we love cheerios!! They are also very handy at church.)

She always knows what she wants and usually gets it. If she doesn't, she whines to let us know that she is not happy. She babbles all the time- sometimes to herself, and sometimes having a conversation with us.

She is usually such a good girl, and puts up with a lot from us. We are so blessed to have such a sweet girl. We love her so much and love that she makes us laugh all the time!

Christmas countdown

2011-12-05T12:07:00.001-07:00

I decided this year I wanted to come up with something fun to count down to Christmas as well as something that would help up remember Christ. I came up with a countdown chain. Every day we take off a link and read the scripture about Christ that is written on it. We also do a Christmas related activity.

Dec. 1- Thursday

Scripture: Matt 18:20

Activity: watched “Christmas Spirit”

Dec 2- Friday

Scripture: Mosiah 3: 5-6, 8-10

Activity: went to the Festival of Trees

We had lots of fun. There were lots of amazing trees. Someday I would love to buy or donate a tree. Abbie enjoyed the lights and the yummy treats :)

This is what I came home to when I got home from the Temple friday morning. So cute! She was so tired but wouldn't go to sleep in her bed. Little stinker. So, she eventually fell asleep like this.

Dec 3- Saturday

Scripture: Luke 17:12,14,15,17

Activity: Ward Christmas party(s)

Our ward had a catered breakfast party. Yep, Abbie sat in her own chair while we ate.

And, Santa came to visit. I love this picture! She really liked his beard.

We ended up going with Brandon's family to their ward Christmas party also. Two free meals in one day! And then we went to a wedding reception.

Dec 4- Sunday

Scripture: 3 Nephi 17: 5, 6, 9

Activity: watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Dec 5- Monday
Scripture: D&C 88:6-13
Activity: Tonight we are going to drive around and look at Christmas lights

So far I am enjoying doing this countdown.

I will end with these cute pictures of the princess of the house. So funny. She pushed this box over to the chair, climbed onto the box, got a little freaked out, saw the stuffed animals on the rocking chair, and stood up and grabbed them. Then she couldn't figure out how to get down so she stood up again and accidentally pushed the box away from the chair and was dangling off the chair. She eventually just let go and fell down and was totally happy.

Does the vacuum freak you out too?

2011-11-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

I wrapped some Christmas presents a couple of days ago, and Abbie found them. I had to find another place to keep them because I was afraid she was going to open all of them :) Sorry Abbie, you will have to wait til Christmas. I think she is going to love it!

A random video. I started taking it because right before she stood for a couple of seconds by herself, but she wouldn't do it again.

She is always exploring and finding new 'toys'

She is super funny playing with this toy, and she can actually click it correctly sometimes.

Today when I turned the vacuum on, she immediately freaked out and crawled behind my legs. She held on and followed me the whole time- it definitely made it a slow process. I had to be careful as I walked because her head was sticking out through my legs. What a silly girl! I sure hope she gets used to the vacuum someday.

Thanksgiving break

2011-11-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

Wednesday we went to Trafalga with B's family. We had lots of fun playing laser tag and mini-golf. Afterwards, we got pizza and ate it at the park in the dark. It was quite fun, except for the chilly weather.

Thanksgiving Day was fantastic. You seriously couldn't ask for a better holiday. We started out by getting up a little early, thanks to Abbie. We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and just hung out for the morning.

For lunch, Grandpa Crowther took us, Brandon's fam, and the Daynes fam to Marie Calenders. It was kind of weird to me because I have never gone out to eat on Thanksgiving before. But, it was still fun because we got to spend time as a family and eat yummy food. Speaking of which, Abbie had a blast eating a ton of our food. Oh, also notice her cute turkey headband :)

Afterwards we headed to my family's house to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner. I made these super cute edible turkeys. Most of the family was there, and we had the traditional turkey dinner, and then played games. I seriously can't believe how much Abbie ate! I swear she ate just as much as anyone else.

Black friday really turned out to be black thursday night. We (my parents and sisters) went to Walmart about 10:30 pm. Brandon stayed home with Abbie. I was so excited to get a few $5 books for Abbie. We then went to Target- my favorite- at midnight when it opened. It was seriously the longest line ever! But no worries, I think we got everything we wanted. Brandon and Abbie joined up here because for some reason she thought getting up in the middle of the night would be fun. I think we got home and crashed around 2 am. Unfortunately, I only got about 5 hours of sleep because Abbie got up at like 6:45. We pretty much spent the rest of the day hanging out, playing games, and doing more shopping.
We did go to the mall so that Abbie could see santa. I thought for sure she would hate it and cry.
Nope. She sat on his lap completely content, and enjoyed petting the fur on his coat. It really was cute.

Yesterday, I finally got to make up some sleep. Yay. We .had a lazy morning and then did a little shopping in the afternoon. My mom and sisters came down in the evening and watched Abbie while Brandon and I went to the Temple. Even though I go regularly, it had been a really long time since we had gone together, so that was nice.

2011-11-23T21:43:00.001-07:00

Today I am grateful for good books to read. I am thankful that Brandon worked half a day so that we could spend time and have fun with family. I am thankful that Abbie is a funny girl and makes me laugh several times a day. :)

2011-11-22T20:10:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful that the weather was nice to me while I was driving. I am thankful for the yummy dinner that I didn't have to make thanks to my mother-in-law. And, I am thankful that Brandon encourages me to do good things.

2011-11-21T21:54:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for our new windshield that doesn't have any cracks. I am thankful that our insurance paid for most of the windshield. And, I am grateful that Abbie went to bed tonight easily without any crying. :)

last week I was grateful for...

2011-11-20T16:50:00.001-07:00

My little family (And the fact that Abbie did sleep sometimes. She is better at nights, but now not so good during the day.)

These guys for being so willing to watch Abbie while I am:
*substitute teaching -which I did this week for first grade. It was a nice break from Abbie, but I was tired at the end of the day.
*on a date with Brandon. Friday we went to a play with some friends. It was so nice to be able to spend time together.
*at art -which I love

Her cute smile, giggles, and babbling.

Our apartment, and all the things we have.

Nap time! and that I get to spend time with Brandon. We love playing games, and doing puzzles. We finished this Capitol building today.

And, I am grateful for Sundays, when our family can be together and we can go to church and learn about Christ.

triple thanks

2011-11-13T18:10:00.001-07:00

Since its been 3 days, I will mention 3 things that I am thankful for.
1- I am thankful for our freedom. I am so lucky to live in America where I am free to do pretty much anything I want. I am also thankful for those who fight to keep our freedom.
2- I am thankful to live so close to both our families. I love that we get to see them often, and that they get to be a part of Abbie's life.
3- I am thankful for the gospel. I feel so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am grateful to know that Jesus lives and loves me.

Ok, so what have we been up to?

Not much during the week- just the usual school and work for Brandon, and me staying home with Abbie. Friday we did get to go on an actual date without Abbie. Abbie spent the evening with my family. It's been so long since we've gone on a date and it was a nice break. We went to a movie (In Time- I would highly recommend it) and dinner. On the way home I won a radio contest! I seriously couldn't believe it. I won tickets to a small concert at a bar. I'm thinking we won't be going to it :) But it's still fun that I actually won and got to hear myself on the radio.

We got home late and saw 4 deer on the grass outside of our apartment. Yeah, I know this picture isn't the best.

That night we decided that we were going to try to let Abbie cry it out to try to train her to sleep better. It was definitely hard! She cried for about 1 1/2 hours and then finally fell asleep. It was definitely a long night. I am hoping it was worth it.

Saturday morning we took it easy. Then headed up to Salt lake to celebrate Brandon's mom's birthday. Halfway there is started to snow :( We had a yummy dinner and played games.

Last night we didn't have to get up with Abbie at all. Brandon says that he did hear her whimper a couple of times during the night, but she must have put herself to sleep. I loved sleeping through the whole night!

And, she didn't get up early. We didn't have to get up until our alarms went off at 7 to get ready for church. That right there is a big accomplishment. We've had a nice, lazy day today. We are working on an awesome 3D puzzle- maybe I will put up a picture when we finish it.

Here is Abbie showing off her cute, new dress from grandma Crowther.

2011-11-10T20:33:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful that Abbie is feeling better and that we were able to have a good day. She got up at 6 -her new wake-up time since the daylight savings switch :( So, I got going early and got a lot of things done, which was very good considering how little I've done the last couple of days. Yay, I love when I feel productive and have accomplished everything on my list.

2011-11-08T19:35:00.003-07:00

Today I am thankful for modern medicine. Abbie had a fever today, probably related to teething. So, Thank you Tylenol for helping make our day a little better, and for helping Abbie not feel as terrible.

Also, we bought some baby Orajel to help numb the gums. It must work because last night was a whole lot better than expected.

8 months

2011-11-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Abbie is exactly 36 weeks old or 8 months!

So in honor of her 'birthday', today I am grateful to be her mother. Being a mom is not quite how I pictured it. I didn't realize how much my life would change 8 months ago. Almost everything I do is centered around Abbie: her eating schedule, her sleep schedule, her mood, etc. I am so grateful that I can stay home with her, and be there for every little thing that happens in her life.

*When going to sleep, I have found that she still likes to be loosely swaddled

*She seriously gets into everything! She loves new 'toys'. As you can see the ornaments on the tree are one of her new favorites. She has also discovered the toilet and garbage can recently :)

*She is getting really stable on her feet. In these pictures she is not holding onto anything- this is new. I think she has had the capability for a little while but has been too scared to do this. I think she will for sure be walking before Christmas

*Her first tooth is coming in! I noticed it a couple of days ago accidentally when I was trying to get something out of her mouth. You can't see is yet, but it is definitely starting to come through. So, because of this (hopefully this is the reason) she has been more whiny lately. Last night she got up several times, and then today was one of those harder days. Maybe this is a result of daylight savings, or both. Anyway, until the last couple of days, she was pretty good about taking 3 regular day naps. Nighttime was still a bit of a struggle- getting up about 3 times.

*She is actually really funny. I love to just watch her. She babbles all the time and it's so cute!

*She is still a big girl. Many people think she is older than she really is because of her size and because she acts a little older developmentally. She does eat a lot. She has solids + milk for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a milk feeding in between each.

* Have I mentioned that she is crazy active! Yep, she is standing up while still buckled. I guess she was sick of sitting there.

Although being a mother is the hardest thing I've had to do so far, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father has entrusted this sweet spirit into my care.

Tis the season

2011-11-05T19:51:00.001-06:00

So, of course I am always grateful for Brandon. But today I just want to point out some of the super awesome things about him. First off, he puts up with my crazy addiction to Christmas. Second, he is such and awesome dad to Abbie and is always willing to get up with her in the night (I am super grateful for this because I have a lot less patience with her in the middle of the night). And right now I am thankful to him for making me some delicious chocolate chip cookies!

Ok, I just thought you should know that Abbie loves to walk around- with help :) She likes to walk if we hold her hands, or if she is holding on to something else. A couple of days ago I got this play stroller out and she likes to push it around. It took a couple of times for her to figure it out though.

The other day when I was making dinner she was hanging out with me in the kitchen. While I wasn't paying attention she crawled into the food storage room, and then ended up blocking herself in. It was pretty funny :) Thankfully she didn't freak out, she was just a little concerned about what to do.

So, I started listening to Christmas music about a week ago. I just can't stay away from it, it makes me so happy! Well, now that I am getting into the spirit of things, I decided that we should put up our Christmas tree. Don't worry, I am not skipping Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving almost as much as Christmas. I just don't see anything wrong with decorating for Christmas early. My mom, Ness, and Syd came down and helped. I think my mom is as crazy about holidays as I am, so she was excited to help. Getting the actual tree set up was the least fun part because we found some unwanted surprises- Spiders! At first Abbie was not sure about the whole thing. It took some getting used to.

But, I sure love decorating the tree!

More decorating. The final result sits in the corner between the chair and the couch so Abbie can't actually access it :)

I pretty much love looking at it. Especially in the dark with just the tree lights on.

2011-11-04T17:24:00.002-06:00

Today I am especially grateful for my parents. I feel so blessed to have been raised in a good home and taught good values. I am grateful for their good examples and their love for me. I have so many fun memories of growing up, and love all of our family traditions. My mom is one of my best friends, and I feel like I can tell her anything. My dad is such a hard worker and one of the nicest, most easy-going people. Thanks for everything! I love you guys!

p.s. Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-11-03T20:43:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for the beauty of this Earth, and for the nice fall weather. Abbie and I enjoyed taking a walk and playing in the leaves (twice). I know I said I wouldn't let her because of her habit of eating everything, but it just looked too fun. She loved playing in them, and it took awhile before she wanted to eat them.

This was the second time we went out. She started out on the grass, but then made her way over to the cement.

"This is Halloween"

2011-11-02T16:10:00.001-06:00

Saturday we went to my parents' ward trunk-or-treat. My sisters told me they were entering the carved pumpkin contest. I decided I wanted to enter too, so we ran to the store and got the last good pumpkin and a good $1 carving knife. With Brandon's help I decided to carve a picture of the Salt Lake Temple. I found a pattern to follow and got it done in about an hour. It turned out great. At the trunk-or-treat, people got to vote for pumpkins for different categories. Mine won two of them: classiest, and best overall. :) I have to say I'm pretty proud of it.

On actual Halloween we went to Magna and went trick or treating with Breanna, Jayden, and Brandon's parents. We got a lot of candy, and had lots of fun! Abbie was really good, she liked picking out the candy and sucking on the wrappers. And, the weather was actually nice, not too cold.

Yep, Abbie definitely enjoyed playing with the candy :) She couldn't decide what she wanted. She would pick one up and stick it in her mouth and then see another one she wanted and would grab that one.

I think we are finally Halloweened out! Now we are counting down til Thanksgiving.
Oh, and I was thinking it would be cool if throughout the month I posted about things that I am thankful for.
Yesterday I was not thankful for the bad weather while I was driving, but I am thankful that we made it safely, and that I didn't die from a heart attack while stressing about the drive.
Today I am thankful that we can get student loans and that Brandon has a scholarship so that we are ok financially and I can stay home with Abbie.

Halloween extravaganzas

2011-10-29T09:16:00.002-06:00

Monday for family home evening we carved pumpkins!

Tuesday I found Abbie playing in the bathroom. First she went for the tub and then she discovered the toilet paper :) Lately she's been more into exploring others parts of our apartment.

Abbie's first Halloween parade! She got to be in the school parade with Amanda. I don't think she enjoyed it very much. After, she wouldn't let anyone else hold her except me.

The Law school Halloween party. They had all the kids do a fashion show sort of thing with their costumes. Abbie showed off her cute costume and her crawling skills. The crowd loved her, and so she got a free t-shirt (that will probably fit when she is about 10 years old). Then we went trick-or-treating to the professors' offices and the law students' carrels. We got way too much candy!

Can you tell that we (meaning I) love Halloween!?

In other news, Abbie has another ear infection. We went to the doctor last week to get her a flu shot. While there I wanted the doctor to look at a rash on her back. Then she just checked everything else out too. Turns out she has another ear infection in the same ear as last time and she has eczema. So we bought her a special kind of lotion that we put on every night. It seems to be helping.

Oh, and yesterday morning Abbie tried out some adult Ibuprofen. Yep, I have no idea how she got to it. Brandon called poison control because I was freaking out. Thankfully they said she should be fine, she didn't eat enough for it to matter.

I love Fall

2011-10-24T12:29:00.002-06:00

I think it is my favorite season because I love the weather, the beautiful trees, and the excitement of the holidays coming up. The only thing I don't like is that it means Winter is coming.

We still enjoy going for stroller rides, love to look at the pretty trees, and crunch leaves with the stroller. I would let her play in them except she would probably just eat them :)

Abbie is still a crazy, active girl. She now climbs out of her bath tub, which makes it a lot harder to get her clean (changing her diaper is almost impossible). And she loves getting into the cupboards and playing with whatever she finds. She is also a pro at pulling books off the shelves. I guess we better find a new place for them.

Watching Brandon's ultimate frisbee game.

Amanda and Syd came and slept over while my parents went to stake temple day.

Saturday night we went to our ward trunk-or-treat. We ate yummy, festive food and then passed out candy to all the cute, little kids. Abbie wore her unicorn costume and several people commented on how cute she was. After we passed out all our candy, we decided to take Abbie around to get candy. It was funny, she picked out most of her candy. Now what to do with the candy? Brandon and I are both trying to eat better.

A couple of funny stories from yesterday:

1- So we have this FHE book that we have no idea how we got, but have had for quite awhile. Yesterday morning Abbie was playing with the books and pulled this particular one down. While she was playing with it an envelope fell out. Brandon saw it and read it. Basically someone anonymously slipped it in and said something about being inspired to give this money. It was a $100 bill. Crazy! The problem is I don't know if it was meant for us or if we accidentally took it from whoever it was really for.

2- While we were doing our library calling at church I put Abbie in her car seat unbuckled (stupid!) on top of a table because I thought she was going to sleep. Well I thought wrong. All of a sudden she had rocked herself out of the ca rseat and fell on the floor. I felt sooo bad. She only cried for a minute and then was fine.

Last night we went to Dallin's eagle court of honor. I can't believe how much work goes into earning that. Congrats Dallin! I bet you can guess what Abbie was doing during the ceremony. Sitting nicely on my lap?? No way. She was pretty much all over the place. (Same thing at church. We sat at on the back row so that she could have some room to move. It allowed us to stay in the chapel and kind of listen)

Cornbelly's

2011-10-19T19:15:00.002-06:00

Monday night for Family Home Evening we went to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point with Brandon's family. We did lots of fun things so enjoy the pictures :)

Horse Racing

Train ride through the 'haunted' corn

Pedal Go-Karts

It was pretty cold. Abbie was happy as long as she was bundled up.

Corn Pit

We also did the corn maze- or at least tried to do it. We ended up cheating to get out :)

Who knew the whole family could fit on 1 chair??

Afterwards we had doughnuts and chocolate milk. Thanks for a fun night!

quick update

2011-10-19T13:13:00.000-06:00

It seems that I go through phases of blogging. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I just put it off because I don't want to. Well, I am back. Here's what we have been up to for the last week and a half.

Abbie is just keeps getting bigger. It seems like she learns something or does something new everyday. She now walks along the edge of things when she is standing up. She has also learned how to make "ooh" sounds- its pretty funny. Oh, and she finally says 'mama'! (but she says 'dada' way more often)

Can you believe that she was ever this little?

(2 days old, 7 months and 6 days old)

She still loves to explore and move around, but always stays close to wherever I am. I was worried that once she started crawling she would be all over our apartment. Nope.

Brandon is still going to school and working part-time. He is very busy. Luckily he still makes time for us. He really likes being a T.A. Classes are good enough, I think he is about ready to be done though. Oh, and another one of his articles is getting published! We still haven't heard back from any judges. I hate not knowing where we will go after he is done.

I still stay home with Abbie. Most days are good. I have learned (thanks to General Conference and my mom) that if I make it a priority to get up and get ready first thing in the morning and get all the house work done, that I feel better and my day is usually more happy. Another thing that I have been trying to be better at is attending the Temple. I have started going with a couple of ladies from the ward on Friday mornings. And because Brandon doesn't have class on Fridays he can stay home and watch Abbie. I have really enjoyed doing this and hope I can continue to do so.

Well, there you have it, a quick catch-up :)

Up she goes

2011-10-10T18:20:00.000-06:00

We have a climber on our hands!

Which also means there is a lot of falling. Thankfully she doesn't mind most of the time :)

Super (busy) Saturday

2011-10-09T20:38:00.000-06:00

The day started out with Abbie getting up at about 6:30 am. We lounged around for a bit and then got ready. We decided since it wasn't raining (yet) that we wanted to walk in the BYU Homecoming parade with the Law School. Our main motivation was that they were giving out free t-shirts. You know how I love a free anything, especially a t-shirt :) So we parked our car at the RB and walked up to the starting point. We got there just in time to get a shirt that actually fit for all 3 of us. All the law students wore shorts with a nice suit coat and had a brief case. They call it the briefcase brigade- a long time law school tradition. Walking the parade was really fun. We got to throw tootsie rolls to the crowd- this is definitely a good parade to attend if you want lots of free candy. Abbie enjoyed it and was very good considering that she didn't have a nap and it was pretty cold. (Seriously, what's up with winter coming so soon??)

Right after the parade we went to Brandon's intramural soccer game. It was fun to watch him play. They were winning the whole game until the last 6 seconds. I guess a tie is better than losing. Even though it was cold, Abbie wouldn't stay bundled up, she just wanted to play :)

Then right after we dropped Brandon off to clean the church and Abbie and I went home and made lunch.

When Brandon got home, we quickly ate and then got ready to head up to Lagoon. We met my family up there and enjoyed the afternoon riding rides and spending time together. I seriously love roller coasters! Brandon probably had more fun watching Abbie than riding.

Amanda talked me into going on the Catapult with her. I was super scared beforehand but I'm really glad I went. It was really fun!

Well that was our busy, but fun day. Good thing today was Sunday so that we could just relax.

Oh, and Abbie entertained us and had fun playing with the balloon that she got from the parade.

7 months

2011-10-07T20:35:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that Abbie is already 7 months old!!!

Yesterday, I substituted in a 1st grade class. The thought came to me that before I know it Abbie will be that old! Seriously time goes by so fast!

She is all over the place. She will play with and eat anything she can get. She knows where we keep her toys and will go get the basket and pull it down.

Most of the time she is our little Angel. She is happy, sweet, and has a cute, little personality. Every once of awhile she is a little devil. Usually, when she is tired, or decides to get up and play in the middle of the night Yep, happened last night :(

So, to celebrate, well really just because we wanted to, we went to dinner at Sizzler and then got ice cream from Golden Spoon (yay coupons). She definitely enjoyed the ice cream :)

GC + cute abbie = happy

2011-10-05T19:18:00.001-06:00

Wow, it's about time I got around to this. General Conference last weekend was awesome- at least the parts that I heard. Abbie was definitely a distraction. We went up Saturday morning to the Winterton cabin, watched GC, played lots of games, and had yummy food, and then slept over.

watching conference

Oh, and did I mention that Abbie started crawling?!! (one of the big distractions)

We spent Sunday with Brandon's family. Abbie enjoyed playing while we watched :)

She also tried out the pool table

Anyway, I love General Conference and can't wait for the ensign to come out so I can study the talks more. I am so grateful that we receive modern day revelation.

Brandon is off school this week for placement break. So, Monday he went to the Utah Federal court to listen to a trial. He dropped us off and we hung out at my parents'. While we were waiting to leave Abbie fell asleep on me. It was so cute!

Amber made this super cute headband for Abbie. Yay, she actually left it on for awhile.

Tuesday I went to my art class, and Abbie hung out with grandma Crowther. Then I went and baby-sat Isaac. Busy day! Thankfully Brandon was nice enough to come help me. Watching 2 babies is hard! They are pretty funny when they are together. They each took turns grabbing the other.

Today, we had a pretty lazy day. I got a lot of cleaning/organizing done. Yay! We also went to BYU campus where Abbie participated in her first research study. They had her watch clips with music... She cried at first, but in the end did exactly what they were hoping.

Here is one more cute clip of Abbie showing off her crawling skills. It's so cute, now when she wants me to pick her up she will crawl over to me and grab my legs.

In the clip above she is crawling towards me because I am holding a pear. She sure loves pears and they are great because she can't bite pieces off.

One more funny thing that I keep forgetting to document. Abbie HATES loud noises. These include the vacuum, sewing machine, sink disposal, lawn mower, and most especially my hair dryer. Where ever she is, when she hears the noise she gets a distressed look on her face and then starts to cry.

the scooty-crawl

2011-09-29T15:36:00.000-06:00

I have termed Abbie's current mode of transportation the 'scooty-crawl' because she goes back and forth between moving on her knees and scooting on her tummy.

A couple of days ago she discovered the kitchen- I guess now I have to keep that clean too.

The most fun thing in the kitchen: the fridge!

She loves being outside. Her new current obsession is leaves. And, yes she has eaten pieces 2 different times.

The last couple of days she has been doing more baby talk and less squeals and screeches. Today she started saying 'dada'. So cute!

Here is Abbie sporting her Halloween pj's. I love holidays! Ness came down on Monday and we went to the store and tried different costumes on Abbie. They were all so cute! We picked one out but you'll have to wait til Halloween to find out what she will be.

And last but not least a cute story: As you know Abbie has been a not so good sleeper. Lately, the only way she will go down for naps is if I rock her to sleep (if I just set her in her crib she either cries forever, or plays until she gets bored and then cries). Well, yesterday I rocked her and thought she was in a deep sleep. The second I layed her down in her crib her eyes popped open and immediately she rolled over, sat up and was standing up against her crib smiling at me. It happened so fast. It was cute, it seemed like she was saying "ok mom, I am ready to play". I couldn't resist, so I got her out and we played for a little bit before trying again to take a nap.

If only she would sleep...

2011-09-25T21:15:00.000-06:00

It all started Friday. I substitute taught Amanda's 6th grade class. Brandon had school stuff to do, so Abbie came with me and hung out with grandma and grandpa Crowther for the day. It was hard being away from her, I kind of felt like I was abandoning her. Thankfully she only cried for like a minute and then had a good day- with little sleep. When school got out we came back home and barely missed the BYU football game traffic (so, glad! I don't do well with traffic, or other cars for that matter). We tried to put Abbie down for a nap but failed. So, we decided we would go get a quick dinner and hopefully she would be ready to go to bed for the night. That might have worked, haha, except that all the places we had coupons for actually don't exist anymore, so we ended up driving around a lot, which may have been okay, except for the previously mentioned traffic. We finally settled for Arctic Circle and then picked up Thor at redbox. Getting Abbie to sleep wasn't as easy as usual. She woke up at 3am and was wide awake and would not go back to sleep. I ended up staying up with her for 1 1/2 hours. And then because I was wide awake, I had a hard time going back to sleep. Saturday, we got up early, because Brandon's dad planned a family 5k Here's a cute picture of Brandon and Abbie watching cartoons while I was getting ready.

We all had matching t-shirts for the 5k. The boys ran most of it, and us girls walked (and cheated). It was fun :)

We went back to the house and had a yummy breakfast and then hung out for a while. Abbie tried some new baby cracker things and of course liked them. Please note the bow that is glued to her head (Elmer's glue). That is because she won't keep her headbands on anymore, and someone recently thought she was a boy. So I will resort to this.

During the whole morning and afternoon she only took about a 30 minute nap. Do you see where this is heading? We went over to my parents' house because I was planning on going to the General Relief Society Broadcast with my mom and sister. By this point Abbie was getting super whiny and once again would not go to sleep. Let me just say, I was very grateful to get a break from her to go to the meeting. And of course the meeting was fabulous and uplifting. We got home a little before 9pm, and put Abbie to bed- thankfully she transferred from the car seat! Unfortunately, she woke up around midnight. Brandon brought her in to sleep with us, but she tossed and turned most of the time, which meant that neither of us slept very well so around 3am he took her back to her crib and she actually stayed. That is until 4am. I got up with her and once again was up with her for a LONG time. She then got up again at 6 with Brandon for good, which means she never really went back to sleep. Basically we were all exhausted this morning, and had to get ready for our 8:30am church. Thanks be to heaven that she did sleep for half of church. When we got home we all took a short nap- too short for some of us. We attempted other naps for Abbie, but no such luck. One time when I went to get her I found her standing up in her crib. This would have been exciting except that I was quite frustrated. (now that she is asleep, I can be proud). She went down a couple of hours ago, and I am praying that she will sleep better tonight, for all of our sanity.

So, the moral of the story is: if Abbie doesn't get her precious sleep, then everyone suffers. Therefore, I plan on being more careful with sticking to her schedule.

Don't get me wrong, I do love that girl and wouldn't trade her for anything. I guess I need to learn some patience and how to be more positive. So, I will start by showing you this cute video of Brandon making Abbie giggle.

11 minutes

2011-09-20T11:37:00.006-06:00

in the life of Abbie.

And because I am so nice I fixed the movie and sped it up to fit into 40 seconds. Enjoy!

Funny Girl

2011-09-18T19:34:00.001-06:00

Yep, this here is definitely a funny girl. A couple of days ago when I went to get Abbie out of her crib she had stuffed both of her legs into one of the pajama legs. It must have been comfy because she just left it that way until I got her dressed.

She is so funny when we put her on the ground. She moves all over, and finds anything and everything to stuff into her mouth.

She has become a pro-sitter. Yay, now we can use highchairs at food places, which is good because then she is not sitting on our laps trying to grab our food :) But, trust me, she sure tries!

We finally gave her this empty cup to play with. Rather than sucking on the lid or the side of the cup, like we thought she would, she stuffed the straw into her mouth. She's a smarty too!

And because she is a pro-sitter, she can now sit up in her whale bathtub. It's so much easier. She sure loves the water. Yesterday we went swimming. She splashed and played the whole time (and swallowed lots of water). It was so cute!!

This funny girl loves to be on her tummy in the crib. Today she actually slept on her tummy with her knees pulled in. It was super funny!

Well, there's your update on Abbie. Oh and Brandon and I are doing good too!

Sleep, where are you?

2011-09-14T14:12:00.002-06:00

Let me just start by saying that being a mom is a hundred times harder than I was expecting, and I wasn't expecting it to be easy. Good thing it is totally worth it. So, Abbie has a cold. Which means that her nose is constantly running, and she is not sleeping well. Two nights ago she woke up about every hour, so Brandon finally brought her in to sleep with us. Let's just say we were all very tired yesterday.

Sometimes I have to lay by her to get her to take a nap- yeah, I know it's a bad habit. But, look how cute she is when she sleeps :)

Thankfully she does have her happy moments.

Oh, and she has recently figured out how to go from sitting to laying to sitting :)

Monday night Brandon took his dad to the Weird Al concert. They had a blast!

State Fair

2011-09-09T16:23:00.000-06:00

Last night I went with my family to the Utah State Fair- it was discount night. Brandon wasn't able to come because he had a class and ultimate Frisbee practice (he's on the Law School team).

Grandpa, Sydney, and Amanda all entered a piece of art into the Fair. Syd got an Honorable Mention. This inspired me, now I want to take art lessons.

Here's most of our group :)

Yay, for riding the awesome, yellow, bumpy slide! (Abbie did not ride it)

Abbie was so fun. She loved looking at everything, and was really happy.

half a year old

2011-09-07T20:18:00.000-06:00

That's right, Abbie is 6 months old! We went to the doctor today for her 6 month appointment. The doctor said Abbie looks like she is 9 months old because she is so big. Abbie is doing fantastic developmentally. Good news: the flat spot on the side of her head looks better, and won't have to be re-shaped with a helmet. I am so glad! So, here are her stats:

weight: 18 lbs. 6 oz. (90th percentile)

height: 28 inches (99th percentile)

head circumference: 42.5 cm (50th percentile)

Abbie is very mobile-rolling and scooting all over. She is a pretty happy girl if she gets enough sleep. I think that is a huge part of why she was being super fussy. She loves any and every kind of food- not that you can tell from her size :). In the last couple of weeks she has started to show preferences for people, which really means she does not like strangers. She is such a joy in our lives, and we love her so much!

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-06T12:36:00.004-06:00

Friday started out not so good. The law school was closed because of a power outage so Brandon had to work from home- which means less productivity. On top of that, Abbie was just having a bad day, which meant that I was having a bad day, and because Brandon was home he got to experience all her fussiness, etc. So we weren't exactly a happy family. By mid afternoon we had had it, and decided we needed to do something fun. We decided to go to Planet Play in Draper with a coupon we had, and my mom met us there and took Abbie for a couple of hours. It was really nice to go on a date without her, and to just have fun!

Saturday, we got up early, dropped off Abbie at Brandon's parents' house, and met my family at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It was Amanda's 12th Birthday, so we went to do baptisms for the dead (a family tradition). It was so cool finally having our whole family there.

Afterwards, we picked Abbie up, ate lunch, and then headed to Swiss Days. It was Brandon's first time going and he actually enjoyed it. I always enjoy it because I love looking at all the cool crafts. I also bought a couple of cool puzzles. Speaking of which, here are the 2 puzzles that I've done in the last few days.

Sunday our ward switched to 8:30 church. It's funny that Sunday will be the only day that I have to get up early. Usually Abbie and I sleep in til about 8:30. It was nice to come home and have most of the day left. All three of us took a nap- probably the first nap I've taken since Abbie was a couple weeks old. Basically it was a relaxing day. In the evening my sisters came to sleep over.

Monday morning my sisters and I were lazy and played games. Brandon worked on applications to clerking for a judge next year (scary to think we will probably be living far away from here next year at this time).
Then we headed up to Salt Lake to go to Grandpa Nielsen's birthday party. There we had lots of delicious food and got to spend time with family. Abbie had lots of fun. She played on the ground, and got herself stuck under the chair. It was pretty funny :)

And, she had a blast playing in the swimming pool.

Afterwards, we headed to my parents for dinner and games (while Brandon finished up his applications).

We had quite the busy weekend, which I love since my days are pretty chill, sometimes boring.

shopping and more

2011-08-31T18:17:00.003-06:00

This is typically what our shopping cart looks like. Unfortunately, the car seat won't fit correctly in the front part of the basket, and I don't think she is quite ready to sit by herself. So, for now, we just shove everything in as best we can. Luckily she doesn't mind holding/eating stuff.

Yay, this highchair was delivered yesterday. I bought it online at Walmart. I think it will be very nice to have. Also, Abbie's loves chewing/sucking on celery and carrots.

This week I started baby-sitting Isaac, our friends' baby. He is about 3 weeks younger than Abbie. It will be interesting because I barely know how to watch one kid let alone 2, but I think it will be good because they can grow to be friends. And it's a bonus that I can do my laundry while I'm there.

One last random tid-bit: Brandon's latest article got accepted and will be published in the student pieces of the BYU Law Review Journal. Yay!

"Super Abbie, with the power to help"

2011-08-28T22:16:00.002-06:00

If you don't understand the title, you don't watch enough PBS kids.

Well, I am happy to say that Abbie hasn't been as fussy the last couple of days (knock on wood). She's still not the best night sleeper though. But, amazingly enough I got her to sleep in my arms at church today :)

We had quite the week. Grandma Nielsen's viewing was Monday night and then the funeral was Tuesday. Of course it was sad, but it was a very nice funeral. She'd lived a great life. Brandon was busy with school, especially because he had to make up for missing class Tuesday. He spent a few nights catching up on Law Review. It was kind of weird because his first 2 years he pretty much never spent time at night with school or work. Hopefully once he get back into the school mode he will have more time to spend with us.

Abbie, the squirmiest girl ever, won't sit in her cute whale bathtub anymore. So, we are trying this method out. However, I have to watch her very closely because she likes to drink the water.

I can't wait for the weather to cool down a little so that it is more pleasant to go outside during the day because Abbie loves being outside. She loves playing with (eating) the grass and looking at the trees.

Abbie playing in her gym thing- I don't really know what to call it. She loves it, although I guess when the camera comes out it is a little distracting :)

Friday, my mom and sisters came down and took us to dinner and then we played games for awhile. I was too busy playing to bother taking pictures. Abbie had fun reading books with grandma.

Saturday, we went up to Salt Lake to celebrate Dallin's 18th birthday with pizza and banana splits.

While there Amber invited me to learn a dance with her and then we were in a flash mob at the Magna Arts Festival. It was a little embarrassing but ended up being really fun. Now I can check that off my bucket list.

Shoes are cute and all to wear, but they are also yummy to eat :)

So, Abbie has a favorite tv show, Super Why. It's so cute; as soon as she hears it come on she turns toward the tv and has the biggest grin. It is one of the things that will distract her when she is fussy and whiny.

Teething

2011-08-25T13:57:00.001-06:00

I'm not a fan! Abbie seems to be fussy and whiny most of the time. It seriously takes 1-2 hours to get her to bed at night because she just cries. And unfortunately no teeth have popped through so this will probably continue for awhile. I just want my happy girl back. Luckily she is still cute and I still love her.

it's all about Abbie

2011-08-21T17:13:00.002-06:00

Abbie is pretty much my life right now. It seems everyone around me is busy with work or getting ready for school, and I don't have any of that. This is the first summer that I'm not getting ready for school. Weird.

Can you believe that Brandon starts his 3rd and final year of law school tomorrow? Crazy how fast it's gone. He is also on the Law Review Journal board, and will continue to be a research assistant as well as a T.A.

I love staying home and being with Abbie. I mean who wouldn't? Just look at this cute face! However, this last week she has been more whiny and fussy than usual. I think she might be teething. At least that is what I hope it is.

Here is Abbie playing with the Bella Vista Tiger while I helped my mom at work one night. I think she loved it because it was something new. She is such a curious girl and I think she gets bored of our apartment sometimes, as do I.

She hardly ever cuddles like this (and this is only like half a cuddle). A few nights ago I got up with her during the night to feed her. She fell asleep in my arms and I just sat and held her for a little while, because usually she won't let me. I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

Look at how big she is her car seat! Pretty soon, her feet will be hanging out over the edge.

Yep, the car seat and Abbie combo is quite heavy :)

It's so fun to watch her play and splash in the bathtub

Abbie loves to move! Her newest thing is to get up onto her knees. Before I know it she will be crawling!

Oh, and one last thing. Abbie slept at church today for the first time in a couple of months. We both got to listen to sacrament meeting in the chapel. Yay, so happy!

great-grandparents

2011-08-19T16:47:00.000-06:00

Being the oldest, I grew up knowing all of my grandparents and most of my great-grandparents. I have so many good memories with them that I will always treasure. That being said, Abbie is so lucky to have met all of her great-grandparents. I have been wanting to do this post for awhile, but it has taken this long to get pictures with each of them.

great-grandma and grandpa McDaniel

(my mom's parents)

great-grandma and grandpa Winterton

(my dad's parents)

great-grandma Smith and great-grandpa Crowther

(Brandon's dad's parents)

great-grandma and grandpa Nielsen

(Brandon's mom's parents)

This post is also special because just yesterday night grandma Nielsen passed away. Even though she had only been my grandma for a short time, I feel so blessed to have known her. We will miss her but know that she is in a better place and know that we will see her again someday.

The Best 3 Years

2011-08-14T19:59:00.001-06:00

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary!!! I can't believe it's been that long, and at the same time I can remember life before. We had an awesome lesson today in Relief Society about eternal marriage, which helped me appreciate it all that much more. I feel so blessed to have such an awesome husband.
He is:
* kind * always cares how I feel * puts my needs/wants before his * a great dad * Mr. Smarty-pants (I am so grateful for his scholarship) * willing to provide for our family * a worthy priesthood holder * fun-loving * my perfect guy*
So, Thanks Brandon for the best 3 years! (and many more to come)

We celebrated our anniversary on Friday. I planned it and surprised him. He got off work early, we stopped and got lunch, then we headed up to Provo Canyon to go tubing.

It was a lot of fun, but there were definitely some obstacles along the way. Brandon got some battle wounds. It took 1 1/2 hours to go about 4 miles.

After, we went home and got changed and then went to dinner at Chili's. It was delicious and we had our leftovers today. To top it off we went and got ice cream at Golden Spoon. So yummy!! And because we had gift cards and coupons it was actually quite cheap :)

I also got Brandon a 3DS and he got me a couple of games and Slurpie coupons- yep still addicted to them:).

We spent the rest of the night finishing packing and cleaning out our apartment.

Why?? Because we moved. Last Monday we were talking and the subject randomly came up. We've previously thought about moving to a smaller apartment but didn't. So, when we started talking about it, it was more of a joke. Then we seriously considered it because we really didn't need that much space and it is cheaper. So we decided to just do it. We are still in the same ward, just a different building. We spent most of the week moving, and I still have a bunch of organizing to do. Thanks to our wonderful families for helping! I am so glad the moving part is done because I hate it! So far we are liking our new place. I love that it is more private and much quieter.

5 down, many more to come!

2011-08-07T17:29:00.026-06:00

Happy 5 month birthday Abbie!!!

*such a smiley, curious, happy girl*

*loves food, toys, and daddy's funny noises*

*this girl is a mover and can't sit still for very long*

*has a high pitch squeal, and talks up a storm*

*She is still a happy spitter, hates to be left alone, and definitely knows what she wants*

*she is a pro roller*

*can feed herself- although not the most efficient way*

*her newest trick is sitting up all by herself*

*she makes everyone around her smile*

food, food, food

2011-08-05T12:03:00.004-06:00

Like I've said before Abbie loves food! So far she has tried bananas, pears, applesauce, peas, sweet potatoes, and rice cereal. She eats solids twice a day- lunch and dinner.

Daddy feeding Abbie some sweet potatoes. She thinks she is so helpful when she holds the spoon :) usually it just makes a bigger mess

For dinner I always giver her cereal with fruit in it. It helps her sleep longer during the night- usually from 8-5ish We both have to feed her because she gets sooo messy and tries to play with it. We usually have to give her a bath after.

Wednesday we celebrated my mom's 48th birthday. Janessa planned a great Hawaiian party. We had a water balloon toss.

Played Limbo. Guess who won??

Brandon! Yep, the tallest one there. Amanda came in at second.

Played mommy bingo, and had birthday cake and ice cream.

Yesterday we went to Lagoon- as usual. I can't believe the summer is almost over! Having a Lagoon pass has been so much fun!

And, in case you haven't figured out that we are nerds. Here's proof:

Yep, we have 22 different Uno games. We started collecting them before we got married and this is our collection so far. If you really are interested you might want to check out this website.

We have tons of other games too! So, if you ever want to play just let us know.

parade and things

2011-07-30T20:53:00.003-06:00

My parents' stake made a float for the Days of 47 Pioneer day parade. It was pretty awesome. And even more awesome... my mom, Heather and I all got to walk in the parade as the pacers for the float. We woke up early and went downtown early to get all our info and get ready. Then because we were dead last in the parade we spent a lot of time waiting and playing cards. It was perfect weather-overcast, but still a little muggy. And we got super awesome t-shirts! Now I can check that off my bucket list.

Abbie is a squirmy, very active baby with a very short attention span

Example A: about ready to roll off the changing table-which can make changing her diaper a challenge :)

Example B: she completely squirmed over the edge of the little seat in her bathtub

Example C: she rolls and moves a lot when on the floor

oh and check out her cute mohawk :)

She scares me a little and I don't feel like I can take my eyes off her. Yeah, can't wait still she can crawl and walk. That will be fun! (sarcasm, in case you didn't get that)

So,

we got her this. I LOVE it because it keeps her entertained and I know she is safe if I walk out of the room.

She LOVES it too! She loves playing with the toys, and being able to stand.

And even though she is constantly moving (which means she doesn't like to cuddle with me), she is still a very good sleeper at night and good during the day, unless I throw off her routine. Also, just recently we have noticed that she likes to sleep on her side and cuddle her blanket.

Isn't she a cutie?

Cherry Hill

2011-07-25T17:08:00.000-06:00

Last week (Wed-Sat) we went to Cherry Hill for a few days with Brandon's extended family- Nielsen side. We of course had a lot fun. I feel like I slacked a little in taking pictures, but here's what I got:

We got these really cool fun passes that included several activities. So, Thursday we went to the Water Park. We loved the 3 waterslides!

Hanging out at the campsite.

Swimming Pool. All the younger kids loved when Brandon and Eli threw them in the water. Brandon wore a shirt because he got burned really bad at the water park.

In our tent getting ready for bed.

Haha. Kennedy had a cute little chair that was perfect for Abbie. So cute!

Rock wall climbing. They had to talk me into it. Amber and I didn't make it very far. Brandon and Eli raced to the top a couple of times.

We also went mini golfing, played lots of games, and Brandon and I even went over to Lagoon one night for about an hour. It was really hot, so Abbie didn't sleep very well during the day. Thankfully she slept great at nights. I think my favorite part was just hanging out with everyone and playing games.

See ya next year Cherry Hill :)

Birthday weekend

2011-07-17T21:46:00.001-06:00

The fun began Thursday when we went to Lagoon.
We went right when it opened hoping to get a prize because Lagoon celebrated their 125th birthday. It was awesome because it wasn't very crowded.

Having fun watching them on the water rides.

Haha, Abbie put down her toy when she noticed the Powerade bottle. She knows what the good stuff is.

Lagoon-A-Beach. It was so fun, a radio station was there and was hosting a bunch of fun competitions. We entered the rubber duck race and the Icee eating contest- which gave us cool, free cups. Lots of fun!

Brandon and I left Lagoon early to go see Harry Potter. He won two free tickets on the radio for a double feature of Harry Potter 7- parts 1&2. The theater was giving out free popcorn and drinks, and boy did we take advantage of that! We loved the movie and we even got to see it in 3D (our first time watching a movie in 3D)

Friday was my actual birthday. I got up and hung out with Abbie, Brandon had to finish his paper.

My family took us to La Cocina for lunch. Then the girls went and got manicures.

Abbie and my mom watched us.

Abbie giving me loves for my birthday :) I also got a new skirt, a primary children's piano song book, movie tickets, computer speakers, some money and Amanda gave me an awesome pedicure. And we ate cheesecake- my very favorite!

Saturday we went to our ward party. Swimming for the kids, and J-Dawgs. The water was so cold, but Abbie still had a blast.

The rest of the day we hung out and I got some cleaning done while Abbie entertained herself.

This girl sure loves food and is such a messy eater :)

Today, of course, we went to church. Then the Crowthers came over and we had a party for me. We ate yummy pizza and breadsticks and chocolate cake.

Abbie wanted some too, so she had some bananas.

Playing games

I had a great birthday and feel so blessed!

Hopefully my next 23 years will be just as great!

Oh, and just because...

Abbie's new trick- standing and leaning against something without support.

What a chunk!

2011-07-13T15:50:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went to Abbie's 4 month check-up. She is one BIG girl with a little head.

Weight: 15 lbs 14 oz (90th percentile)

Length: 26.5 inches (98th percentile)

Head circumference: 41 cm (45th percentile)

Seriously. Look at those thighs! Not to mention there are plenty of extra rolls everywhere else :)

And we love it!!!

Abbie can now eat 'solid' foods. We are starting with rice cereal.

She loved it! I'm not surprised at all. Remember when I said she always wants to eat when and whatever we eat.

Love this face!

Brandon's dad celebrated his 50th birthday! We played Pin the tail on the Donkey. It has become a tradition and its always funny to watch.

My two cuties sporting their BYU Law shirts. I guess I am not cool enough to have one :(

I have had a lot of people recently tell me that Abbie looks just like Brandon. What do you think? Personally I can't tell.

I walked in this morning and this is what I found. I tell you, she really loves her bear. And other toys too. And yes, she does sleep in just a diaper now because our apartment is hot! Fans have become our best friends.

See, she does love all toys. Or pretty much anything she can get her hands on :)

My sisters came down and we made bows! Here are the ones I made and I am quite proud of them :)

I also got to see my high school besties. Crazy how long ago that was. We had fun eating pizza and chatting. And they got to meet Abbie :)

Park City

2011-07-10T23:09:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday we went up to Park City for our annual vacation with my family. We had a great time!
Here are some of the highlights.

We spent a lot of time hanging out

Reading, chatting, playing card games, and video games

Swimming

Watching the Park City 4th of July parade

Oakley Rodeo

One of our favorite traditions. Unfortunately Abbie didn't like the really loud atmosphere.

The activity center had lots of fun activities. Here are a few pictures from the photo scavenger hunt (mimicking a statue, handstands, doing the Bunny Hop, flashlights in the dark-except that I forgot to turn the flash off-love their faces). We won! There was also a balloon toss and Brandon and I won.

Mountainside Resort/ Alpine slide

We rode the bus over. Syd, Ness, Jake, and Halle went on the Alpine slide. The rest of us hung out and had Snowies.

Olympic Park

Heather, Amanda, Brandon and I all got passes for the slide and 2 ziplines.The big zipline is supposedly the steepest zipline in the world.

I was scared to death but ended up loving the ziplines.

In fact they were so fun that everyone else tried it and loved it.

Unfortunately we had to come home Thursday, a couple days early, because I signed up to take a Children's Lit class at BYU for recertification credit. Which also meant that I read two books while up there.

We had so much fun. Abbie's routine was messed up but she handled it pretty well.

Now we are back to life :)

122 days

2011-07-07T21:59:00.001-06:00

Abbie is 4 months old

She's growing so fast!

*Loves food. Especially our food. Anytime we eat she thinks she ought to have some :)

*Rolls over all the time. Yep, she has finally rolled from tummy to back, though it's a rare occasion.

*Has recently found her feet. Loves to grab them, but can't quite reach them to her mouth without help :)

*Smiling queen. and loves to giggle. So cute!!

We sure love this girl!!!

Another week bites the dust

2011-07-02T22:08:00.002-06:00

After a week of not blogging the pictures have piled up.

Monday we went to Discovery Gateway- the children's museum. We had a lot of fun :)

Tuesday Brandon and I both got sick :( Neither of us felt up to doing much so we didn't even have dinner. I felt bad for Abbie. Though I am so glad that she did not get sick.

The rolling girl :)

She LOVES her toys!

Oh, precious! She even loves to sleep with her toys. She usually goes to bed with Mr. Bear.

Friday we went to an awards assembly for Breanna and Jayden so Abbie got to hang out with grandma and grandpa Crowther.

She is already a BYU fan!

I love this girl, but I sure wish she would take longer naps. The last few days she has only been taking cat naps, meaning 20-50 minutes.

We also packed up and went home yesterday from Draper. That was quite the job and Abbie was not making it any easier. Thanks to my mom for taking her so that I could get everything done.

This morning while I was unpacking from our Draper stay and packing for our Park City vacation, Abbie played on the floor with her toys for awhile...

... Then she got bored of the floor and moved to the swing. And, yes she still likes her swing! Especially when there are toys on it for her to grab :)

On the way here to Park City, we stopped at Walmart. Genius! All stores should have baby seats like this.

So, now we are here in Park City and already having a great time. Pictures will come soon! (hopefully)