Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to post a quick note to everyone. I know that I haven't updated the blog in quite a while, sorry about that. It has been crazy busy around here. Kevin and I are getting ready to go out of town for the holidays and won't be back until after the New Year. I'll post again when we get back and I'll share all about Sarah's first Christmas. In the mean time we love you all and miss you so much. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

Talking and Teething

Sarah had a big day last Friday, November 23. She woke up happy like she normally does and I took her downstair to feed her. I could tell she was hungry but we got to the third or fourth bite of oatmeal and she started crying and fussing. She would turn her head away from the food and didn't want to eat. So I decided to feel her gums to see if she had a tooth coming through and she did! It is on the bottom in the front on her right side (left if you're looking at her). Here she is at 9 1/2 months old and she finally got her first tooth. I was so excited I started jumping up and down and couldn't wait to tell everyone. After I calmed down I gave her some teething tablets to help with the pain.

Later that morning Kevin was sitting with Sarah on the couch. We have some friends staying with us for a while and they have a cat. As the cat walked by in front of Sarah she pointed at it and said, "dity" (kitty). Kevin and I looked at each other because we weren't sure we heard right. Then she said it again, "dity". Again we both were so excited. She said her first word as well as getting her first tooth. We kept her going for a while, us saying "kitty" and she would answer "dity".

In the evening we had put up our Christmas tree and I was holding Sarah and showing her the tree. I pointed to the tree and said, "tree". Then she answered with "gee". Holy cow! Her second word and in the same day. Again we kept repeating the word back and forth.

And finally at dinner time Sarah was sitting in her high chair and she dropped some food. I said "uh-oh" and she said "uh-uh". I said it again and she answered back. So not only did she have her first tooth come in but she said her first three words as well. We have had a really good time with her talking and she is trying oh so hard to say more words. Of course she practices the three she knows all the time and uses them in the correct context as well. It's so fun to watch Sarah learn and grow. Her next big step will be walking.

Candy, Candy, Candy!

We had a wonderful Halloween and really enjoyed taking Sarah around in her costume for her first Halloween. Kevin and I dressed up as vampires and Sarah was a lady bug. As we took her around all the neighbors thought she was so cute. Most of the time Sarah was very serious and pensive just taking everything in. I think she was trying to figure out why everyone was dressed so weird. When we got home she had so much fun going through all her candy. Then she passed out and didn't even wake up when we put her on her changing table to get her pajamas on. Here are some pictures. The first one is from our Trunk-or-Treat at church. She is sitting with her friends Ben and Owen. Owen was really cute with Sarah and put his arm around her as we were getting ready to take their picture. He even gave her a hug. The rest of the pictures are from Halloween night. Trick-or-treat!

The T.P. Queen

Sarah discovered the roll of toilet paper in the bathroom the other day. She had the best time unraveling it. I let it go on for a bit until she started eating it. When I took it out of her mouth she started to cry. Here is the story in pictures:

Taste of Homes

For the past few months I have been getting together with friends for something called Taste of Homes. It's a girls night out that happens once a month. Each month we have a different theme for the food like salads, soups, BBQ just to name a few. You make the dish and bring the recipe printed out with enough copies for everyone. Then we get together to eat and visit. If you like the food then you have the recipe available to take home. We take turns hosting the event. If you are hosting then you do not have to make any food. This month was my turn to host and I spent a lot of time putting up Halloween decorations to make the night more fun. Here are some pictures of the decorations:

I was a mad woman for three weeks making a lot of these decorations and putting them up. My Taste of Homes was a success and it got everyone in the mood for Halloween. Over the months I have been able to collect a number of amazing recipes that are now becoming staples in our home. I have set up a Recipe blog that I will use to post a number of these recipes for you to enjoy. The links are to the right, underneath our family picture. I have tasted all of them and they are delicious. I have also put a banana boat recipe out there for all of you who have never had them before. Enjoy!

Banana Boats

The other day I was reading my cousin, Rachel's blog and a while ago she did a post on a trip her famiy took up the canyon. They had banana boats while they were there and I mentioned to Kevin that I have never had banana boats before. He promplty informed me that I was missing out and I had to try them. He turned the oven on and made a banana boat for me to try. We took it outside and ate it together on the lawn. Of course as soon as Sarah saw that we were eating something she came crawling up in our laps trying desperately to get a taste of the action. We gave some to her and she kept begging for more. Here is the end result:

Begging for more

Hey Sarah, she likes it

I think banana boats are going to become a staple food for future camping trips.

And the Winner Is...

Everyone always says that Sarah looks more like Kevin than me. At first I could see that, but now that she is getting bigger I can see more of myself in her. My friend Katie tried this look-a-like meter with her kids. It scans your pictures and determines which parent your child looks more like. So I decided to try this with Sarah and see what the outcome would be. See for yourself:

Let the record show that she looks more like me (it's about time)!

Our Growing Girl

Sarah will be eight months old next week. She has changed so much in the past month. On Labor Day she went from doing the army crawl (which she had done for six weeks) to crawling on hands and knees. She also started pulling herself up to a standing position that same weekend. When she is holding on to the couch she will walk the length of it. I don't think it will be too long before she starts walking. Just last week she started baby talking. She is always saying da-da-da, ma-ma-ma or any silly consonant combination she can come up with. She loves to talk to anything she has in her hand or is looking at. It's fascinating to me to watch her explore all that her little body can do.

Kevin and I feel so blessed to have Sarah in our home. Heavenly Father has given us a very special little girl that more than made up for all that we went through to get her here. I can't imagine our life without her and it feels as though she has been with us forever.

Check out this cute video I took of her this morning!

Happy Anniversary

Kevin and I just had our 7th wedding anniversary last Saturday the 15th. To celebrate we went to the temple and then out to a nice lunch. Unfortunately, Kevin threw his back out earlier that morning so getting through the temple was difficult for him and we had to cut our afternoon short so we could get him home to lie down. We ended up renting a couple movies and relaxing together that evening.

It's hard to believe that seven years have gone by. I feel like I have been with Kevin my whole life (I mean that in the best way possible). I remember the day we got married and how much I was in love with him. I didn't think it was possible to love him more. But today my love for him is stronger than ever. I think that is the best thing about the passage of time. All that time passing and all that we have been through together has only made our love for each other stronger. I am looking forward to our future anniversaries (20th, 40th, 50th) when I look back and realize I love him even more than I do now.

Welcome to Our World

Well, we have now joined the blogging community. I have been hesitant to start a blog because it's hard enough for me just to keep up with emails but have decided this is such a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. I am excited to share our milestones with all of you. Check back often for the fun!