Adelaide is 1!

Adelaide had a great birthday with a pink cake and a ball pit. I think she had a good time ;)

 

Right now Adelaide weighs 20 lbs 15 oz & she's 2 ft 5 in tall which is pretty close to the natural average. I think that she and I are both happy to be done breastfeeding - YAY grown up food!

Adelaide still likes Mom & Dad best but is starting to come around a bit. She happy to wave at strangers and say "hi" as long as they don't get too close or try to hold her hah. She also says "uh oh" when she drops things. Adelaide refuses to eat peaches (i've tried like 20 times...) but generally likes all food. She's finally learned to crawl, cruise, and stand; and she's very close to taking her first steps I think. She really loves her blankie & pacifier and singing "ee i ee i oh".

We love this little girl that brings so much light into our life!

 

New Year

January has flown by super fast. Brett finished up his residency interviews (yay!) We've been playing at parks, going to the zoo, and all the usual stuff. I've been in tidying mode and dejunking the whole house. I think it's starting to drive Brett crazy because he doesn't know where anything is. :P

On January 20th, Brett's grandma (Afton Shaw) passed away. She had been battling more than her fair share of illnesses and was relieved of that pain. Our family flew up to Cardston for the funeral. I only knew her a few short years, but we named Ellie (Elizabeth Afton Shaw) after her because of the fierceness with which she loved all her family. I have never known someone so willing to call us out of the blue to just say hello and see what we were up to. She was genuinely interested in what was going on in our lives and I love her for it. The last time the Brett spoke with her, she was still reminding us to try to be close to home at the end of this medical journey. I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that families can be together forever.

The Holidays

ok, it's been awhile and it's time to catch up.

Adelaide is growing up way too fast. She's got 2 teeth, and loves solid foods especially bread & cheese. She sits up by herself, arm crawls a bit, and is starting to pull up on things as well. Let it be known that Adelaide said Mama WAY before Dada ;) and she likes to jabber quite a bit. She loves being tickled by her big sister, and bath time. And she still gets super anxious if anybody that isn't Brett or I gets too close.

Ellie is growing up too. (thank goodness because 3 has been a tough year) She can get dressed (most of the time) by herself, go to the bathroom by herself (when she's not afraid of the dark), and she's getting better at a few little chores that help me immensely - horray!!! She loves playing with friends and cousins, and helping me make cookies for choir. She is also obsessed with all animals. Ellie is actually a pretty good little singer and is SO excited to be a sunbeam because she wants to go up and sing in sacrament meeting at church. 

We spent Thanksgiving with my side of the family in Houston this year. We had a little reunion and stayed in cabins and the Retreat to Artesian Lakes. We saw alligators, alligator snapping turtles, bluegill, and raccoons. It was fun being outside; riding bikes, canoeing, fishing, etc. 

We said goodbye to an old friend, and welcomed a new one.

My Dad built me my dream dining table and delivered it to my door.

Brett's been interviewing every other week and we decided we didn't want to be without him anymore so we tagged along. ROAD TRIP! We loaded up our van and drove to Little Rock, Arkansas for the first time. Ellie loved the "ho and tell" and had a big bed all to herself which was fun. Brett interviewed all day and I took the girls to the zoo, state park, to find giant Christmas trees and get pizza. It was a little cold, foggy, and rainy but we still had a blast.

Whew! This is a long post. Then Christmas happened. We spent the holiday in Houston again with my family and it was filled with graham cracker houses, talent shows, giant family dinners, walks around the loop, urban air, reunion with friends, Old MacDonald's farm, nativity stories, matching pajamas, the Muppets Christmas Carol, the Christmas pole, The Last Jedi, game nights, Kleiner cookies, and lots of playing with cousins. Ellie was spoiled with tons of new toys that she loves and Adelaide just loved watching everyone. Bring on the New Year!