July 10, 2012

Victoria has become quite the chatterbox lately. As of today she can say the following words and phrases:

thank you
love you
miss you
truck
look
up
bye bye
hi
amen!
ball
mama
dada
off
hot

She's so observant and loves to mimic everything we do at home. For example, she has watched Clark put on his swim goggles many times. Today, when we were swimming, Clark had put his swim goggles on the ground and Victoria picked them up and tried putting them over her head. Oh, I love that baby!

May 9, 2012

My baby is growing too quickly for my taste. She turns one year old a week from today. How did this past year go by so fast? Last night I nursed Victoria for the last time. She is now officially weaned and it breaks my heart. Tonight I just rocked her without nursing and she snuggled me so perfectly without the slightest complaint that I wasn't nursing her. I didn't want to put her in bed, fearing that she might be all grown up in the morning and she wouldn't need her mama anymore. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for my precious children. I am so very grateful for the Atonement, which allows be to be with my babies and husband forever. The Plan of Happiness is exactly as titled. I am forever indebted to my parents for teaching me of the straight and narrow path AND for exemplifying how one should walk it. Today marks 31 years since my parents were sealed to each other and to me and my sisters for eternity. My heart swells with joy just thinking how I get to be with my entire family FOREVER. And tonight I got to experience a moment of eternal happiness while rocking my baby girl as she snuggled up to me.

May 2, 2012

Clark said the family prayer tonight. He thanked Heavenly Father for the "circles that you pull and count for Uncle Samuel" (a paper chain we made to count down Samuel's visit). He also prayed "bless Mommy that she'll be safe, and not mad" (I was pretty grumpy today. Obviously it carried into Clark's day). And he thanked Heavenly Father that "monsters won't get us in the dark and won't eat our house." 

"And a little child shall lead them..." Isaiah 11:16

November 9, 2012

We visited Grandma Kelley today. Clark and Victoria loved visiting Grandma! Victoria thought Grandma was so hilarious. V loved hugging and playing with Grandma. Clark was impressed by Grandma's collection of tractors and go-carts. She even let him ride and drive a tractor. Clark is never going to stop talking about this day! It was so nice to visit with Grandma. I wish we lived closer to her.

April 23, 2012

The other morning Clark had just woken up and Brent asked Clark if he needed to go to the bathroom. Clark replied, "No, I don't have fire in my belly."

November 7, 2012

We went to Sweet Tomatoes with Heidi for lunch. Victoria sat up in a high chair for the first time, just like a big girl! She was super excited to sit in the high chair by herself. She's growing too quickly!

November 14, 2012

The children loved playing with Maxwell while we visited Mom and Dad's house in November. I couldn't believe how much Victoria loved him. She would get so excited every time he would walk by her and she would begin to bounce and reach for him. Clark loved wrestling him.

 We really need to get a dog. We just need to convince Brent.

November 8, 2012

Early in the morning and caught by the flash. And she's STILL cute! :)

December 18, 2012

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December 23, 2011

Looking so sweet, bright and early in the morning. 

(I think she looks like Heidi in the picture above.)

Someone is soooooo excited for Santa Clause to visit!

December 12, 2012

I heard Clark yelling for me and I walked in to see him toppled over in Victoria's jumperoo.

 I was impressed he was even able to get into it. He's such a funny boy. 

November 14, 2012

We went to Costco today in Arizona. I decided to let Victoria sit in the cart for the first time because she has been sitting up by herself so well. She looked so cute and she was excited to sit up in the cart like a big girl right next to her older brother. 

Clark looks so grown up sitting next to his baby sister.

November 14, 2012

These cousins are too cute together. It's crazy to think that Magdalyn use to be as small as Victoria (with chubby cheeks and arm rolls, too)!

November 14, 2012

My sisters and I got together tonight at Heidi's house to work on our Christmas gift to Mom and Dad. We are making a quilt (well, I'm cutting and ironing). It will It will be a genealogy tree quilt with a leaf for each person in the family. I wish I could do more to help with it but I am incredibly untalented in the crafty department and will (unfortunately) be leaving Arizona in two days. I'm glad I was at least able to help cut and iron! 

The quilt is going to be gorgeous.

November 16, 2012

We had a great time playing with family today at San Tan mall. We got to play on the playground, shop around and end the day by eating at Grimaldi's pizza. Although we missed Brent on his birthday, we did have fun celebrating his birth by spending it with our family members in Arizona!

November 20, 2012

What a pretty girl! Sitting in her feeding chair for the first time to eat.

She's such a happy baby. Maybe she's excited to try out some mashed sweet potato.

 Hmmm. What's this?

Hey! That's not milk!

Hmmm. Do I like it?

Wait for it...     

OK! I want more! 

Although, I want to hold the spoon myself.

Victoria had her first bite of food (mashed sweet potatoes) on November 20, 2012 at 6 months old. She hasn't looked back since. She fits right in with the family and loves ALL kinds of foods.

December 10, 2012

We had our ward Christmas party today. One of the members of our ward is a photographer and she took pictures of each family in the ward who attended the party. I thought our picture turned out great! AND I also love it because it's the first picture we have of the four of us since Victoria was born. 

December 22, 2012

We went to the zoo today to get some fresh air while the weather is nice. We saw Alan Anderson and his two children, Aiden (one of Clark's friends) and Emily. The Andersons have a zoo pass that allows unlimited pony, monorail, and carousel rides. So, Clark got to take a ride on a pony and on the carousel. He was so excited, especially since he had ridden the horses at Grandma and Grandpa Gardner's house when we visited Arizona in November. He looked like little Star Wars lovin' cowboy on that brown and white pony.

December 16, 2012

We met Brent for lunch today and tried out a new Korean fusion restaurant called Rhost. It is so delicious. I got the bibimbop (hot stone bowl mixed with marinated beef, veggies and rice) with an over medium egg on top. Brent got a bulgogi (marinated beef, rice, Asian slaw, and pork roll) dish. We shared with Clark and he couldn't stopped eating it! Victoria loved the restaurant, too. And she got lots of compliments on her new hat she got from Mom Mom and Granddad Farnsworth for Christmas. She is pretty darn cute in that hat!

December 19, 2012

I downloaded a new app recently on my iphone called instagram. It allows the user to style photos with a few different photoshop templates it offers. I've been playing around with it and thought these two photos turned out kind of cool. I'm typically not a fan of taking photos of myself but I thought these two photos of me looks a bit artistic. If only I would take the time to learn how to actually edit photos like Dad and Heidi... 

December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve we were at the Berg's house but still got to spend some time with the family via Skype. We watched my mom and dad open their Christmas gift that my sisters and I (okay, mostly Terin- she rocks!) made for them. 

The family tree quilt is gorgeous! I can't wait to see it in person. It's seriously an heirloom.

I love watching my dad interact with the grandchildren. 

Dad: "Oh, look! It's a box! Thank you so much!" Grandkids: "That's not the giiiiift!" :) So cute.

December 28, 2012

Victoria waiting patiently to go to the Arboretum with Clark, me, and Blake and Martha Smith.

The Little Mermaid's chair

Jack in the Beanstalk's house with Martha Smith.

Sitting in a wagon like the pioneers.

The weather and the Arboretum were surprisingly beautiful for December. It was a very enjoyable day to spend with the Smiths and my babies.