Lizzy Eating Solids

Where has the time gone? I introduced Lizzy to solids last Saturday. She's growing up so fast! I just gave her a few spoonfuls of infant cereal mixed with formula, and I've been doing it once a day since. At first she thought it was very weird. I think the texture and flavor of the cereal made her face crinkle and her eyebrows tighten. But now she seems to like it more. Hooray for growing babies!

New Baby Rats

Scott and Emma are really looking forward to these three little babies joining our family at the end of the month:


Pixie







Poppy







Blackie
(Black Beauty)

Scott named the little black one, which will be his rat. Scott just finished reading the book "Black Beauty," and the protagonist is a black horse with a white star and white socks. This little female rat reminds him of Black Beauty.

We love rats in our family. Checkers, our last remaining rat, will be passing away shortly, so I had to find some more babies to replace her and our other rats before we have an empty cage. Scott in particular has a special fondness for rats and enjoys their company.

*Pictures were taken by Frannie's Rattery in West Valley City, Utah*

Lizzy's Parakeet

One of Lizzy's favorite thing to do is stuff her cute little green/yellow parakeet in her mouth.

Don't worry... the bird isn't alive. It's a darling little life-like puppet my aunt Wendy gave my mom when Lizzy was born. My mom left the puppet here for Lizzy to play with during her last visit, and Lizzy loves it! I think she likes the little blue eyes and the bright colors on the bird the best. She "talks" to it and smiles at it, and she especially loves shoving it into her mouth. It's so cute to watch her play with it.

While the Boys were Out

My little sister Rachel and her husband came to visit me over Conference weekend this year. While the menfolk were at the Priesthood session, Rachel and I asked Emma what we should do together, just us girls. "Let's do makeovers!" Emma said excitedly. Rachel and I looked at each other and raised our eyebrows. I don't know what Rachel was thinking, but an immediate memory came to my mind of the last time Emma gave me a makeover. I believe the word "clown" was used to describe my appearance afterward.

"How about we give YOU a makeover, Emma." Emma loved that idea! Rachel grabbed my makeup and began beautifying Emma. It was a fun process to watch, especially when Emma began to look older and older as each stage of makeup was put on. I couldn't help but think, 'Oh, no! What happened to our little girl?' She looked much older by the time we were done.

Here's the finished result:


Here are some step-by-step pictures:

The Highlight of My Day: September 2009

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in September:

Tue 9/1/09: Lizzy turned 12 weeks old today! She loves to smile and "talk" with her mama and papa. She constantly rolls over onto her tummy and tries to wiggle away on her playmat. She recently started sucking her thumb when she sleeps and no longer likes her binky.

Wed 9/2/09: Today I am grateful for family members and new chapters in life-- even if those chapters may be hard. I went out to lunch with my in-laws at Applebees today. It may be one of the last times we do that with Zach and Amanda before they move to Arizona. Also, tonight my sister called to let me know that my Uncle David passed away while he was visiting his family in Southern California. Although times of change are hard, I am grateful for the opportunity of getting to know wonderful people. They have influenced my life for the better.

Thu 9/3/09: Tonight we all went to SEP Conferences. Scott and Emma have great teachers this year, and I am looking forward to helping the kids with their assignments and school projects. Should be good!

Fri 9/4/09: Brad came home early yesterday, which was a happy treat for me! We spent time talking together and discussing important issues with Brad's mom. I love being Brad's wife! He's wonderful.

Sat 9/5/09: Brad and I watched "Sarah Plain and Tall" together. It was Brad's first time seeing it.

Sun 9/6/09: Brad received some great news from his credit report: He's now in the EXCELLENT category! No more bad credit!

Mon 9/7/09: We decided to go for a walk this evening, with baby Lizzy in Brad's arms. After we got back the Bruce-clan showed up and we gave Jessica her birthday present.

Tues 9/8/09: The kids came back from their Labor Day parent-time with Melanie. It was great being with them again! We went to the library together and did "Sweets and Sours." Emma was very excited about upcoming events.

Wed 9/9/09: Today Brad stayed home from work. I took advantage of him being home by leaving Lizzy with him and getting my hair cut. Now I have a really cute short hair-do.

Thu 9/10/09: Brad and I took some great pictures of our family this evening. Nothing staged or planned-- just lots of nice pictures of us outside, enjoying our evening. It was great!

Fri 9/11/09: Today Rachel emailed me her itinerary for her flight to Utah in October. I'm so excited to have her and Craig come!

Sat 9/12/09: Brad and I made ourselves some pizza and watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It was nice spending time together.

Sun 9/13/09: Scott went to his 12-year-old interview with the Bishop today. He'll be receiving the Aaronic Priesthood next week!

Mon 9/14/09: It was a wet, rainy day. I liked watching the rain fall, mainly because there wasn't much for me to do today besides being sick with a bad cold.

Tue 9/15/09: Brad and I had some alone time tonight and we went to the library. It was nice being with him. He takes such good care of me.

Wed 9/16/09: Brad and his dad gave me a priesthood blessing today. I love having the priesthood in my home!

Thu 9/17/09: Scott turned 12 years old today! Happy Birthday, Scott-Boy!

Fri 9/18/09: Scott had a sleepover tonight with Michael and Ryan. Emma got to go spend the night with her cousins.

Sat 9/19/09: This morning Brad, Lizzy, Michael and I went to see Amanda and Zach before they left for Arizona. We are going to miss them.

Sun 9/20/09: Scott received the Aaronic Priesthood today and was ordained to the office of a Deacon in our church.

Mon 9/21/09: I am reading the Book of Mormon while nursing Lizzy. I can definitely see a change in the way I think and feel when I read the scriptures. My day went much better.

Tue 9/22/09: We went to the library tonight and I checked out the Roger and Hammerstein musical "Cinderella" to watch with Emma. She really likes the song "In My Own Little Corner." I sing her that song at bedtime.

Wed 9/23/09: Lizzy finally likes her swing! I put her in her swing a few times today and she loved it. She played in it and took a nap. It kept her happy and entertained while I got done other things.

Thu 9/24/09: I drove to the Health Department today to get a copy of Lizzy's birth certificate. It's been on my to-do list for a very long time, so I'm glad I finally got it done.

Fri 9/25/09: Today I hosted a YW Board Meeting at my home with Marcie and Sharon. It's nice feeling in the loop of things again. I also went to Brad's volleyball game tonight. Our ward won both games!

Sat 9/26/09: Little Cinnamon passed away today. Scott conducted a funeral for her, which I thought was sweet. I enjoyed gathering together as a family in the backyard and saying nice things about a rat. It meant a lot to Scott.

Sun 9/27/09: Today was the Primary Presentation at church. Scott and Emma both participated. Scott's talk at the end was wonderful and brought me and Brad to tears. Scott also passed the sacrament for the first time today.

Mon 9/28/09: Emma had a fun idea for FHE tonight. She suggested we play a game where we have to write out as many prophets as we could think of in one minute. Brad won the game by writing down 16, I wrote down 14, and Scott wrote down 8. But the cute part was asking Emma how many prophets she wrote down. "One," she answered. "Only one?" we asked. She nodded her head. "Gordon B. Hinckley."

Tue 9/29/09: I loved watching Scott interact with 16-week-old Lizzy today. Lizzy smiles and coos, and loves "talking" to Scott. I also loved hearing Scott call me "Mama" several times today. It felt good.

Wed 9/30/09: Tonight we discovered that smacking our lips makes Lizzy laugh. All of us took turns making her happy. It was hilarious hearing all of the kissing noises in my room last night!

Lizzy in September

~3 Month Old Cuteness~
I love my baby! She's such a fun little girl.

Scott's Talk: Temples and Priesthood Keys

I know my family can be sealed in the temple together forever according to Heavenly Father’s plan. My family was sealed in the temple and I am they glad did. Some day I’m going to be sealed in the temple to my wife, so I’ll have an eternal family.

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus says to Peter: “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This talks about the priesthood keys that Jesus Christ held and how Peter would get to hold all those keys. These keys can seal you in the temple. Other keys can bless the sacrament and ordain others to hold the priesthood.

I am 12 years old. Now I am old enough to hold the Aaronic priesthood and to do baptisms for the dead in the temple. I am thankful for the priesthood keys and temple work.

Scott gave this talk today in Sacrament Meeting at the end of the Primary Presentation. He did such a fantastic job.

Twelve Years Old

Happy Birthday to the handsomest 12-year-old I know!

12 Reasons Why I Love Twelve-Year-Old Scott

1. He is SILLY. I love his sense of humor and how easily he makes me laugh. Some of my favorite memories of all time are laughing and being silly with Scott.

2. He is PLAYFUL. I love playing games with Scott and teasing him.

3. He is WITTY. He knows how to say smart, funny things right on the spot. I love how quickly he thinks things up.

4. He is SMART. I love how well he does in school and how he always get good grades.

5. He is CUTE. I love his smile; the way his eyes sparkle when he laughs; the dimples on his cheeks; the way he combs his hair; his tall slender frame; the way he looks like his daddy. He is so handsome!

6. He is CREATIVE. I think his artistic abilities are amazing. I love watching him create new things, especially things that I would never be able to come up with by myself.

7. He is KIND. I rarely ever hear anything mean come out of his mouth. He always wants to be nice to others.

8. He is OBEDIENT. I love the way he respects his daddy and me. When Brad and I ask him to do something he always listens.

9. He is LOVABLE. I love cuddling with Scott and giving him hugs every day. I love how he is not afraid to say "I love you." He is such a sweet boy.

10. He is one of my FAVORITE people. I love spending time with him.

11. He is PRICELESS to me. He is worth more to me than any of the possessions that I have, and I would gladly give them all up to have him be a part of my life.

12. He is FAMILY. Scott will always be a part of my family and a part of my life. The greatest part about loving Scott is knowing that I will love him forever.

Baby-Proof Haircut

I finally got a new haircut yesterday, to help baby-proof my hair a bit. It's still not completely baby-proof, but at least it's far less accessible to Lizzy's reaching fingers than before. Lizzy hasn't twirlled and tangled her fingers in my new hairdo yet. She'll probably figure out a way to do it eventually.

It's Official...

Lizzy is a thumb sucker!
She started sucking her thumb at 12 weeks.