Recent Goings On

So...I have a lot of catching up to do, which overwhelms me sometimes - but I want to remember all the little things we do too, not just the big things. So - here we go.

Lydia is 4 months old! I can't believe it. She is getting so stinking cute we can hardly stand it! It is so much fun to see her learn and grow, and try new things.

She LOVES her bath now. I give her one every day because she just loves it so much, and I love that it makes her smell good and that it gives her hair a chance to mellow out, even if its just for a little bit.

The monster robe! Isn't it funny??

Her lovely Einstein hair before the brush...

and after! Ha! Major difference.

She is getting SO smiley now! It's so fun to see her interacting with us and showing us that big, wide-mouth smile. It melts my heart every time.

We have been doing a lot more tummy time lately. We went to her 4 month well child visit, and the doctor said that she is kind of getting a flat head! Ahhh!! I am kinda freaking out here. So, he said to let her spend more time on her tummy, in her bumbo, and in a bouncer so that she spends less time putting pressure on the back of her head. He said if you're proactive about it that way, that usually this issue will fix itself. Here's to hoping! 

 She's been having a lot of fun spending time with dad lately. She loves to just hang out with him on the couch and be a part of what is happening. It makes her look like such a little grown up.

We went to Dave's work to have lunch with him, and we're trying to make it a regular thing. It was so fun to see him during the day, and he loved showing Lydia to all of his cute residents. She made them all so happy, so we are definitely going to have to repeat it again soon.

She has the cutest sleepy time faces ever. I try to catch a bunch in pictures, but the pictures don't even do them justice. She has a little angel face when she sleeps.

Walks! The weather is now good enough that we can go on walks, and boy are we excited about that. It's so fun to get out in the fresh air and walk around. She's still not loving the fresh air on her face - she tries to eat it, and it is the funniest thing. 

My friend Hannah came into town from Oregon and we got to see her!! Even though we didn't get to see each other for very long, it was so nice to catch up and see each other. It made me miss college days a little bit, when we would carpool to and from Provo every day. Thank heavens for her, or I'm not sure I would have survived the commute for 2 years! Dave and I are trying to plan a trip to Oregon again this summer sometime - we have got to go for a sail on their new boat! 

We only have 1 more week of our diet! We've been doing it for 11 weeks already. We have mixed feelings about it being almost over, actually. We are definitely excited to not be so rigid, especially in public/social situations. We've had to look really strange in some situations as everyone else around us is eating food that looks SO tasty, and we have to pack our own healthy little meals. That's not really super fun. But, the diet has made a big difference in the way we feel. We both feel like we have more energy, and we feel a lot healthier. I've lost 12 lbs. and Dave has stayed about the same weight, but has definitely gained more muscle. I am ALMOST back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but some of my pre-pregnancy pants are too big for me now. I've definitely lost inches as well as pounds. I've never been so good about exercising and eating right, and it feels so good to exercise some self-control and make my body learn that my mind is in charge, and that I really don't need all the things that my body sometimes thinks it needs. It feels so great to set a goal and to reach it and to know that I didn't cheat on this diet - ever. It was really hard at first, and I'm just so proud of myself for sticking with it!  I'm excited for the shopping trip we have planned with my mom as a reward for doing the diet - it's going to be great to go and get some clothes that will fit.

My mom and I have been getting busy on our long list of sewing projects we want to do. We've been making a ton of pillowcases lately, for holidays or birthday gifts. At first they took us awhile to do each one, but since we made so many we are pretty fast at them now!

Obviously Christmas was our favorite holiday. :)

 Remember when I said to stay tuned for a picture of my Cat in the Hat quilt I've been working on with my mom? Well...here you go! It's all finished, and it is SUCH a good snuggle quilt. It's minky on both sides so it's super soft. It's now our favorite blanket to snuggle up with while we watch a movie.

We are just finishing up another project, fabric golden books (you know, like The Pokey Little Puppy, and the Saggy Baggy Elephant). We found the fabric panels and we knew we had to get them. They will be great for kids to take to church, because they won't make noise turning the pages and kids won't rip or bend the pages since they are fabric. I don't have any pictures of them yet though. After we're finished with the books, we've got more quilts we're working on. A Utah Jazz quilt, a U of U quilt, and a T-Shirt quilt from all of my Bountiful High School school shirts. We've got a lot of stuff to keep us busy!

My brother came into town with two of his kids, and we have been having a great time hanging out with them. It's so great to see them since we don't get to be with them that often. We've had so much fun playing games with the kiddos, doing puzzles, reading books, watching movies, drawing pictures and staying up late playing games with the adults. The kids LOVE Lydia and have been having so much fun playing with her.

We especially had fun on St Patrick's Day. Dave has always loved St. Patrick's Day for some weird reason, and so he wanted to make it a special day for the kids. On Sunday night, we made some leprechaun munch to leave out for a leprechaun to come and eat, and hopefully leave his pot of gold. Well, the leprechaun didn't disappoint. He came on Monday morning, and left some notes and his pot of gold. Dave went to wake the kids up (dressed as a leprechaun of course) and told them that a leprechaun had, in fact, visited the house last night and had left them a surprise. The kids had fun following the shamrocks along the path to see all of the funny things the leprechaun had done that eventually led to the pot of gold. 

     

 I think that's about all for now. We are healthy, happy, and enjoying being a family of three. We feel so blessed and are grateful for all we have, because we have everything that really counts and that really makes you happy - testimonies of the gospel, a strong marriage, a beautiful little baby, and loving and supportive families. Life is sweet. :)