scarlett: 7 months old

This girl has her two bottom teeth. She happily eats avocados, carrots, broccoli, and we just started strawberries. She eats three meals a day and in large quantities; I'm always wondering if she's going to puke. Like, she eats 4 baby carrots, a quarter of an avocado, a handful of cheerios, and still nurses after! It's crazy! Nurses about 6-7 times a day (plus her sometimes 2 night feedings). I can definitely tell she's weaned herself since solids. I'm guessing she weighs ~16 pounds. Does not take a bottle, so we'll probably have to donate tons of milk to the NICU...

Still has a strict 8 pm bedtime, has dropped her 11 pm feeding, but varies on whether she'll call for her 2 am and 5 am feedings/comfort. Luckily she goes right back to sleeping until about 6:30. Takes 2-3 naps a day, ranging from 30-60 minutes.

Rolling and scooting, so close to crawling, but not quite there yet. Should probably move up to size 3 diapers with that bodacious booty, but we're finishing up our box of size 2's. 6 month clothes are starting to fit snugly. Everyone has been commenting on her hair coming in this month, and they say it looks lighter than Amelia's. Blows her lips constantly and will yell if a toy is taken away from her. Will stare strangers down until they make contact to give them the biggest gummy grin ever. Loves to smile with her tongue. Becoming less vary of other people holding her. Still lets us know how much she despises her car seat. Is so curious about how the world works. Turns when her name is called and waves when he's happy and leads when music is playing.

Loves her daddy and always stares and smiles when he's around.
Loves to play with anything her sister has: blocks, trucks, babies, play food, etc.
Loves songs, walks, when mama makes an evil cackle, balancing in the air with dad, and "row your boat" with Amelia.

It is my absolute favorite when she falls asleep on me and lets me kiss her chubby checks. Or when she falls asleep while nursing, but still holds on to my finger (and my heart).

We love you, Scarlett Anne! Can't believe you're closer to being a one year old than a newborn babe now!

Amelia loves to call her sister, "Scarlett Anne!" or "Scarlett Macaw" (we met one at the aquarium and thought it was the cutest nickname and it sort of stuck!) These two tattle on each other all day long and sometimes that's a recipe for pure exhaustion. But some days are pure magic, and I'm grateful I get to watch their relationship. I'm hoping and betting it just gets better and better as they grow.

7/26//

(scarlett is staring at amelia yelling, "cheeeeeeeeese!")

ethan moore gave his farewell today, and it was incredibly powerful and mature for an 18 year old. but knowing his parents, it was understandable. i was inspired to find the light (our savior) in the midst of darkness (mortal life).

pie-n-cheer day

  (jeremy + scarlett making the same face)

i love peterson's family farm and the events they host. i thought the name of this event was hilarious and perfectly family friendly. amelia participated in the games... got a little frustrated with the bean bag toss and stepped right up to it to drop her bean bag in, was so cute jumping in her sack bag and thought i was the most hilarious person ever, dunked farmer luke by pressing the target, loved petting the baby goats + the wagon ride (amelia kept telling me it wasn't a wagon ride, it was a tractor ride). we skipped out on waffle luv (i know...) to have lunch and naptime, but i would still call the whole morning a success!

xo

7/19//

brother villagomez shared his testimony with us on keeping the sabbath day holy + on staking our testimonies to a strong foundation. he's hilarious and i've adored his family for a long time (i served in the young women's presidency with his wife, tabitha) and am devastated they've moved out of our stake boundaries. (i know, you're thinking WHY ARE ALL OF LIANA'S FRIENDS MOVING AWAY!? i feel the same way.)

the relief society lesson was on marriage and family, and i was bummed that i missed so much of it walking the halls with scarlett. (i've gotten to know the primary secretaries well though) but i walked by the primary room, and they were singing 'gethsemane' and there was not a dry eye in the room. for the adults anyway. because of this experience, i've focused on singing this song in my home and amelia has picked it up as well. going to church is still helping me invite the spirit in our home, and i am grateful because of it.

cow appreciation day!

i was minding my own business, scrolling through instagram and realized it would be cow appreciation day at chik-fil-a the next day. i took the girls to walmart as soon as they woke up and got a few sheets a felt for $2 and whipped together matching cow costumes after their bedtime. i'm pretty proud of the fact that their masks kinda fit. (amelia and scarlett have the same size head... bah!)

amelia woke up and ate the best breakfast ever because i told her we were going to get fries after. the whole drive over to chik-fil-a, she kept telling me "i'm so excited, mom!" i'm grateful that scarlett's just our happy camper that's just happy to be along for the ride. we got there and amelia was  t e r r i f i e d  of the cow. she refused to take a picture with him, even though he was holding scarlett. and she just kept screaming, "i like sheep!!!!"

we got our fries and chik-fil-a sauce and lemonade and amelia was in heaven. she ate about three fries (and i felt like the smartest mom in world having her eat her oatmeal + yogurt first). she played in their playground and then kept telling me how much fun she had the whole way home. and then she told me we had to take dad when he got home from work. :)

i've been thinking a lot lately about what kind of mother i want to be. i've learned a lot from social media, but also feel like it's held me back. i believe that we all just want to be the best moms we can, but too often we get caught up in the prettiest pictures and perhaps silly things that don't matter quite as much. i worked on improving myself by stepping away for a few days, and realizing i could continue to step away if there were more important things to do. i've always loved making costumes and finding matching outfits and playing games that also educate and going to community events and taking pictures to preserve memories and kissing those sweet baby cheeks. these things are important to me and i will continue to do them. but the pinteresty homes, and the perfect pictures, and the crafts that my kids don't want to do, and all the fillers in between? it can wait until we have some more time. slowly, but surely, i'm figuring this thing out (until the next phase right?) i love being a mom. i'm so grateful for my cuties.

7/12//

the pulsiphers spoke in sacrament today. they are another family i have loved that are moving after 10 years.

their assignment was on sacred covenants, and they chose to focus in on the covenant that applies to most of us: the sacrament.

lindsey entire talk was on the first part, to always remember Him. we always turn to Him times are hard, but it's so easy to forget Him when times are good. she encouraged us to pick apart our lives and place Christ in the center. (i'll always adore lindsey, she was my visiting teacher and took such great care of me.)

dave followed with emphasis on to keep His commandments. he spoke of bear lake and when lindsey asked the kids to not go into the water unless a parent was present. but they couldn't understand why, and they had their own opinions on why they didn't need their parents. but they had requested their obedience not to make them miserable, but to keep them safe. dave correlated this to keeping the commandments. we insert our own opinions on why we don't need to keep them, but they are in place for a reason, and we are rewarded for our obedience. (sounds cheesy, but i just love divine parallels with parenthood, and i feel so much closer to my HF.)

7/5//

yes, i made us all wear patriotic themed outfits today since i adore the fourth of july so much!

i spent much of the three hours in the mothers' room and pacing the halls with my loud scarlett today, pondering on this experience of young motherhood.

my friend katie is moving and this was her last sunday in our ward. she bore her testimony on service and ward families helping raise children together. i will miss her more than words can say.

we spoke of the Christ's church on earth today in gospel essentials and discussed how the 'apostasy' was just as necessary as the second coming. that God gives us as much revelation as we desire, and He will never abandon us so long as we choose Him.

in relief society, diana (who managed to hide her pregnancy this long and is due in september) taught on belonging. how each one of us belongs to relief society, even if we have a loud yelling baby who just wants to be heard at all times.

i'm grateful for sundays, and i love them.

light up the sky with the fourth of july

As tradition would have it, our family kicked off the 4th of July with the Murray parade. It was our sixth parade together, and I still reminisce our engagement right before our first parade. Three is the magic number, Amelia is little human with her own little brain who loves holidays and can appreciate fireworks! She loved the parade and waved and high-fived and danced to the passing music and ran to the candy and it was just so good for my mama heart to see her so excited. Scarlett cheered (yelled) in the background and that was perfect, too.

Brunch with the Bodtchers, dinner with my parents + a nap in between made the whole day just right.

Sparklers and pop-its on our driveway, where Amelia told us, "it's so hot! in my nose!" and we agreed how much we love being parents.

The best kept secret is this spot right by the temple. I'm not sure these pictures did justice, but we got a full panoramic view of the valley's fireworks! (Amelia kept saying, "say cheese, fireworks!" as I was snapping these shots) We were far enough away from the BOOMs and I just loved how uncrowded it was. We brought our own snacks and were the first to arrive around 8. It was so special being together with just our own little family, chatting while more families arrived and watching the sun set. Amelia was sweet and so excited for the fireworks; she would yell out the colors and yell, "they're getting closer!" and "look, Scarlett!" Scarlett stared in awe at times, but was more interested in her purple hand. Jeremy kept telling me that we had found our spot, that this was going to be our firework spot for years to come. And for me, it was just such a perfect day with my family. I felt so blessed to have them, to be living in this country, to have everything I need.

God bless America!

2014
2013

life these days

is busy and loud and outrageous. and i love it!
going out to eat as a family of four can be unpredictable,
but i'm learning to appreciate this lovely thing called young motherhood.

(we went to red robin, scarlett yelled the whole time, i nursed her without success or a cover, we got our food + boxed everything up to go, i took the check + couldn't remember how much to tip, amelia was a total angel though!)

xo

we're going on a bear hunt

amelia has loved her "we're going on a bear hunt book" so we decided to go on a "bear hunt" up silver lake! we took our picnic basket and ate sandwiches + fruit in a secluded area and hiked around the lake. we encountered long wavy grass, deep cold river, thick oozy mud + big dark forest. AND a moose. but amelia was utterly disappointed that we didn't find the bear, nor a swirling whirling snowstorm. whaaaale... i guess we can't win them all.

love my girls and their crazy personalities.
and their daddy too.
xo