scarlett: 6 months old

Not an insane amount of change from last month to this one, but here are a few updates:

//Scarlett sits so well by herself, but still topples over every once in a while. She rolls all around the room, but hasn't figured out how to army crawl. (She doesn't get much practice, because she much rather be held.) She jabbers loudly quite often, but I'm still waiting to hear "ma ma ma ma"

//Everyone, and I mean everyone, always comments on Scarlett's big smile that consumes her face and her thick, long eyelashes. This sweet girl has charmed us so!

//She has one bottom tooth, just in time to start solids. No worries, her daddy still calls her "gummer." She does not love her avocados or carrots, even when we mix it in with breastmilk.

//She was sleeping so well for us (from 8 pm to 5 am well), but recently started waking every couple of hours again. We assume it's the teething? So sad. Takes 2-3 naps a day, ranging from 30 minutes to 90 minutes.

//Still in size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing.

//Just despises her carseat so and lets us know every time.

//Has started to sit up in carts at the grocery store and just loves her new perspective!

//Loves toy spoons and her purple hand and basically anything she can gnaw on. Loves when her daddy throws her in the air. Loves kisses on her cheeks and neck. Loves when Amelia wakes up to talk to her.

//We started sign language with solids, "more" "all done" + "thank you" are the most common signs. She just grins from ear to ear when we help her.

//Has gotten so curious this last month! She's becoming more and more busy and it's so fun to watch her learn!

//She is such a sweet baby, just happy to be hanging out with us! (most of the time) We just love our Scarlett babe.

Amelia insists on taking a picture with Scarlett every month. I oblige because I'm sure the girls will love it when they're older. I adore them together, so much! They take turns waking each other up at 6 in the morning.

6/28//

i have really valued these sunday journals, not only for the pictures, but for the notes i've started taking in my meetings. i usually share my favorite piece, or a piece that stood out to me, but i so cherish that notes and thoughts that i've collected.

the youth from our stake just returned from trek this past saturday, and a young man share how he was so nervous to attend for the fear of there not being enough food for him. he bore his testimony that God listens to every prayer we say, even the little ones that we're embarrassed about. it touched my soul to hear of his close relationship with our Heavenly Father. (if only i had known this when i was 14.)

happy sabbath!
xo

the benefits of waking up before 6 am:

Amelia discovered these ants and was terrified, but still willing to cheese it up for a picture.

just a magpie who stole the last bite of our avocado (see next picture)

 the only picture i could get of amelia with these dinosaur exhibits. cute girl was pretty vary of them...

ah, the girls and i are up between the 6 and 7 'o clock hour every day, makes for long days for sure! on a faithful friday, we decided to head up to the zoo and arrived right when it opened (9:04 am). It was pretty empty and just perfect! We stumbled into the seal program, which was just darling, and then into the leopard program, which completely disgusted me (watched a leopard jump into a tree and devour a bunny... gag). we had an early lunch around 10:30. little birds surrounded us, and amelia was anxious they would eat all of our popcorn. a magpie jumped on our table while we were distracted and took the last of our avocado, amelia has been talking about it for days. it was hilarious!

we've seen the entire zoo (i think?) in our two visits, and it has been so fun! we left around noon and despite my attempts to keep them awake, the girls were passed out before we got to the freeway (meaning they wouldn't nap when we got home, meaning i had a long afternoon ahead of me). i opted for a frosted lemonade from chik-fil-a. by myself. the timing was a bit cynical... as soon as i finished the last sip, scarlett started squawking and amelia started mumbling, and that was the end of their 40 minute nap!

love these girls and our adventures and motherhood in general.
xo

06/21//

how convenient the content of sacrament was the power of priesthood. on father's day.
i'm not going to lie, i was a little vary and probably confused about the priesthood when i first heard of it.
i had a solid testimony on prayer and my relationship with heavenly father.
i knew that blessings helped me feel the peace i needed,
but it wasn't until the blessing during my kidney stone that all my skepticism faded away.
i'm grateful for the priesthood and it's presence in my life.

also, amelia got chocolates after sacrament to give to jer,
insisted on carrying it home by herself
took off down the hall to the kitchen
when we got through the front door and put scarlett down.
we found her with her mouth full
"i only had one!!"
priceless.

daddy's day.

these girls love their daddy. their hearts drop when he leaves for work and their faces light up when he comes home. he is the very center of our lives. i wish i had better words to express how thankful we are for him, but this is it. he's patient and kind and gentle and hardworking and so so loving. and how dedicated he is in supporting my role as a mother.

i'm also grateful to my own dad for teaching me to love, to show me what qualities i wanted my babies' dad to have. patience, kindness, gentleness, hardworking, loving, and so supportive of my mom. people always say girls will marry their dads, and i never thought i would. but i did. i'm so grateful for the way he makes me laugh in ridiculous ways, just like jeremy does; for the way listens to my dreams, just like jeremy does; for the way he values my independence, just like jeremy does.

i'm so grateful for dads.
happy father's day!
xo

loveland living aquarium

well, i've turned into the mom that blogs only pictures of her kids without many words, but am pretty much saying, "hey, look cute  c uuuuu t e these babies of mine are!" but for real, i just want to munch their cheeks! jer came with us our first time and we all agreed the remodel was so much more kid-friendly! we loved the displays and loved tuki's island; both girls were all smiles and we had so much fun! similar to our experience to the zoo, we didn't rush to do everything, but enjoyed what we could slowly and looked forward to our next visit. just perfect! jeremy, the big sucker, got amelia a $4 pretzel and a $15 stuffed animal for each girl. i know i probably sound grumpy and cheap, but really i love that jeremy spoils the girls rotten. i oblige because it melts my heart, but i'll never admit it to them. amelia decided she wanted an octopus at the last minute, and then at home she wanted to trade for scarlett's turtle. it's okay that she monopolizes all the toys and scarlett just gets the scraps, right?

loved this trips so much, we went back the very next day with my girl christie. she lives so far away, and i love and miss her so much. it was just nice to catch up for a minute.
xo

hoogle zoo

we got annual passes to the zoo + the aquarium for christmas and i thought it was time we put them to good use. one random morning, i braved up and decided take the girls to the zoo! and hurried, packed up the girls, and left before i could change my mind. it was completely  p a c k e d  because the weather was overcast aka perfect. we got so, so lucky that someone pulled out as we were driving by and we got a front row spot. where i totally nursed scarlett in the backseat before we got out.

i gotta say, i'm pretty impressed with myself for containing both girls by myself and having so much fun together. we made it all the way to the otters, where amelia told me she had to pee. after that, amelia asked to play in the splash pad, and i figured we could visit the rest of the zoo another day. we had lunch (okay, amelia had lunch and i wondered why i forgot to pack myself anything) while scarlett munched on my glasses and made faces at us. we went back around to see the elephants for a second time, and amelia yelled out, "they're pooping mommy! so much! like daddy does!" i'm pretty sure i peed my pants a little. but really, those elephant poops were ginormous.

i managed to keep the girls awake for the drive home, even though they were exhausted and the three of us took a nap together. mission accomplished!