Baby, It's Cold Outside

Or it will be when we are in MN visiting our family next week.  In preparation to embracing the frost-biting cold we will encounter, I borrowed a winter coat for Ellie girl and purchased a bunny hat and mitten set from Target.  Elisabeth LOVES her winter gear.  She refused to take it off after I tried it on her the other day.

Here she is in one of her favorite places in the house, doing one of her favorite things to do.  My dentist will be thrilled that she is already committed to good dental hygiene.

And here she is after I wrestled her out of her coat because it was supposed to be 80 degrees that afternoon.  I think she cried for 15 minutes and I could only take off her bunny hat when she was asleep for her nap.  I guess this is her way of saying she can't wait to see "Gampa Mimi" and her aunts, uncles and cousins.

Cleanliness

Elisabeth got herself especially dirty today between lunch and a visit to the park this morning.  This is unusual for her. She isn't obsessed with being clean but she always plays and eats pretty neatly.  While we were waiting to check out at the fabric store, she looks at me and says loudly "I need bath."

Everyone behind me in line laughed out loud because she did look a little like a street urchin and I probably should have changed her clothes before running some errands.  And she does need a bath.

Out of the mouths of babes. . .

Happy Half Birthday to You!

18 months.  Elisabeth has reached the magical age of 18 months.  For those that are LDS, this glorious age means that our baby is now old enough to enter into Junior Nursery during the 2nd and 3rd hours of church, allowing mom and pop to actually learn something of a religious nature in Sunday school instead of how to keep a toddler happy and quiet without distracting the 50 other church goers.  She did not cry one tear.  She doesn't even look back to say goodbye when Lance drops her off and when I pick her up, she doesn't want to leave.  That is our social butterfly! Our baby is NOT a baby anymore.

Elisabeth's Medical Report Card:

- Height: 75th percentile

- Weight:  95th percentile

- Head:  60th percentile

Some funny "Elisabethisms":

• When we give her a choice between two things, she will say "Ummmm" as she ponders and then does a cute little smack of her lips once she has reached her decision.
  
• She loves salad, eggplant and stuffed peppers.  When we put a 1/2 of a stuffed pepper in front of her one night she exclaimed "Oh Yeah!" with a huge grin.
• She walks on her toes a lot just like I did when I was a little girl.
• She already used her "big girl potty" successfully.  We aren't potty training yet but just "familiarizing" her with the concept.  She is receptive so far.
• Affectionate is word that best describes our clever girl.  She is constantly hugging and giving sweet kisses to all of her stuffed animals and baby dolls, not to mention her parents and Sofi Dog.
  
• She loves to do that hand motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider."
• She insists her stuffed dog do everything she does.  As a result, her dog went to church last week wearing a diaper and hair bows.  She also has her stuffed dog take her turn on the "big girl potty" every night before bedtime.
  

She is always on the move and is into everything.  This picture says it all:

We sure do adore our Chunka Munka!

All in the Family

Everyone who sees Elisabeth almost automatically says "Oh, she looks just like her dad."  I swear she has a little bit of my family in her as well.

You be the judge:

Lance and Elisabeth around 18 months

Kristi and Elisabeth around 18 months

So, she does have a lot of her papa in her.  She definitely got her chubs and coloring from her daddy.  However, there is no denying she is mine as well.  She has my mouth and maybe even my nose!

I think she takes after her namesake, Grandma Dorothy.

No question.  She is ours.

Our First Date: A Disagreement

I claim our first date as a couple was when Lance invited me to go watch the BYU homecoming parade in October 2001.  (Which, for the record, it was.)  Lance insists it was later in November 2001, when we went to watch a men's acapella group sing and then out to Leatherby's for hamburgers and an icecream sundae.  He likes to say that was our first date because he not only held my hand AND told me he loved me, BUT he also gave me my first kiss.  He figures he was pretty suave. Even though he is wrong about this being our first date - as it was cleary NOT - I remember that evening every time the calendar on our wall changes from October to November.  He told me he loved me 8 years ago on a freezing cold bench outside the HFAC (the performing arts building) at BYU before he had even held my hand.

Right or wrong, I am just so glad he finally stopped trying to set me up with his brother and decided I would be a good match for him.

Here's to a husband who works countless hours to support our family but still manages to spend quality time with our daughter every morning while I sleep in a bit, serve valiantly in his calling at church, take the dog for her morning walk, fold all of our laundry every week, make veggie platters for Sunday dinner at my neighbors, and do everything he can to help out at home so I can finish my graduate degree. 

Yup.  I would say I am very lucky and forever grateful for the support he has always given me.