My Wonderful Mom

My Mom traveled to Utah last week and spent three days with us. I LOVED having her here! During that time she vacuumed, bathed the baby, changed most of the diapers, fed the baby, took the baby on walks, cleaned the kitchen, did all the dishes, and washed the kitchen and dining room floors. The woman is amazing! And I thought I had cleaned the house before she got here, too!

I love my mother. She is the sweetest, most enduring, and most industrious person I have ever met. Lizzy loves her, too. I loved watching them interact together while my mom was here. Hopefully Grandma can visit us again soon.

On the side note, my mother is celebrating her 60th birthday today! Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

Happy Birthday, Teenager!

Scott turned 13 years old today. Here's what Scott has to say about himself:

"Now that I am 13, I am a teenager!"

Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Foods: Pepperoni Pizza
Favorite Movies: Star Wars, Indiana Jones
Favorite Books: "The Indian in the Cupboard," and "Poppy"
Favorite Animals: Rats, bunnies, cats, dogs
Favorite Superheroes: Spiderman, Batman
Favorite Character: Chell from Portal
Favorite Quotes or Sayings: "We do what we must because we can," "Not never but now!", "Courage isn't the absence of fear."
Favorite Video Games: Portal, Half Life 2, Team Fortress 2
Favorite Songs: "Still Alive," "In a Meadow"

Activities and Hobbies: Video games, art, and Legos.
Goals for the next year: Become better at math.
I would describe myself as: VERY GEEKY

Lizzy's 15 Month Old Stats

Weight: 23 pounds, 53% for her age.
Height: 31.5 inches, 82% for her age.
Head Circumference: 18.5 inches, 81% for her age.

Teeth: 3 total (2 bottom, 1 top), and 1 more coming soon.

Her favorite foods: yogurt, cheddar cheese, bananas, grapes, noodles, raviolis, eggs, prunes, apple sauce, hot dogs, and rice. She LOVES ice cream, too.

Foods she does NOT like: green beans and broccoli.

Her favorite games:
The chase me game!
This Little Piggy
Peek-A-Boo
Her favorite thing to do is play outside-- doesn't matter where.

Her vocabulary (with her own baby pronunciations): bye-bye, dog, doggie, kitty, hi, thank you, uh-oh, Mama, Papa, Emma, all gone, no, ball, you're welcome, nose, bottle, and Grandpa.

Her favorite songs: "Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and "Old Mac Donald Had a Farm."

My little girl is growing up! If I were to describe Lizzy in three words I would say: active, curious, and confident.

Lizzy believes in herself and her capabilities. She is not afraid to try new things. She's well coordinated for her age. She can climb on things and go up and down the stairs without hurting herself. She can also grasp a pen or pencil very well and draw scribbles. She gets bored quickly, and needs to keep moving constantly so she can explore new things and challenge herself physically. She likes to cuddle and be held when she's not in a busy mood. She's a little stand-offish with people other than her immediate family, but she loves to socialize and play from a distance. She is very vocal and bright. She understands what people say most of the time, and figures things out very quickly. She is a happy child with a great sense of humor.

Little quirks:

• When she wants to eat something really bad she says: "Mmmm! Yaeeee!"
• If she hears anybody opening the front door or walking up the stairs she will whisper: "Pa-pa."
• She says "hi" enthusiastically after we say "Amen" at the end of family prayers.
• If I open the fridge, she immediately checks to see if there's a box of Gogurt.
• She DOES NOT like being brought inside after playing outdoors. That's the only time she will throw a huge tantrum.
  
• She knows how to climb on the bed, the couch, and the dining room table. YIKES!
  

My Little Cowgirl

Lizzy has a new favorite accessory: a red cowboy hat. I think it used to belong to her cousin, Charlotte, from Halloween a few years ago. Lizzy wore her red hat all day on Labor Day. She wore it outside while we were watering the lawn. She wore it to Woody's diner, where we had our lunch. And she wore it to Wheeler Farm, where we saw farm animals and played Bocce. She blended right in with the farm setting. She loves her little red hat! I love my cute little cowgirl!

The Highlight of My Day: August 2010

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

Sun 8/1/10: Rachel and Craig arrived at Aunt Cindy's house today. We went to Multnomah Falls together. It was beautiful! The Marshes arrived this afternoon, too. It was great seeing them again.

Mon 8/2/10: We headed to Powell's Bookstore today. We also went to the Portland Temple, and the Lego Store. We got some great books and Scott was very pleased with his Lego choices. We had taco salad for dinner. YUM!

Tue 8/3/10: The whole family went to Cannon Beach today. It was kind of cold and rainy, but we still had fun eating lunch together, shopping, and playing on the beach. The Norths and Montgomerys played soccer after dinner. I took pictures. Everyone had a fun time!

Wed 8/4/10: This afternoon we had our annual family BBQ. The potato salad and fruit salad tasted great, and Nick, as always, did an amazing job grilling. It's nice being with family!

Thu 8/5/10: We went out to dinner at a restaurant in Idaho tonight, and when we went to pay the check, the waitress announced to us very cheerfully that someone had already paid it for us. How nice is that? It made my heart very happy that someone would be that generous and kind to us despite us being perfect strangers.

Fri 8/6/10: It's great to be home after a long day of driving! I was so happy to sleep in my bed again.

Sat 8/7/10: I loved waking up beside my husband this morning tucked in our own cozy bed. It was so nice having Lizzy sleep in for us. Yay for time zone changes!

Sun 8/8/10: I announced in Young Womens that I completed my Personal Progress. I should be getting my medallion next week!

Mon 8/9/10: Lizzy has a new tooth coming in! It's her first tooth on top. The one next to it is following close behind. Pretty soon she's going to have a very toothy grin.

Tue 8/10/10: My happiest time of the day was cuddling with my husband and baby. Being a mother and a wife are my greatest blessings.

Wed 8/11/10: Lizzy is getting so big! She's walking and getting into EVERYTHING now. Her sense of humor continues to grow as well. We spent a good 20 minutes today just playing with her diapers. She would empty out her bag of diapers and stick them on my head and watch them fall off. She thought it was the greatest game ever invented!

Thu 8/12/10: I watched Lizzy make funny noises outside the bathroom door while she was waiting for her papa to get out of the shower. She was mimicking her father's raspberries perfectly. At first I thought it was Brad not her. Very, very cute and silly!

Fri 8/13/10: Scott & Emma came back from their week-long visit with Melanie. It's great having them home again!

Sat 8/14/10: We went over to see the Harmans today, and we helped clean and went swimming. Rosie and Tricky came, too. I had fun taking pictures of Rosie and the kids in the pool.

Sun 8/15/10: I received my YW Recognition today. I'm glad I got it done!

Mon 8/16/10: Lizzy played in the sprinklers outside for the first time today. She liked sticking out her tongue and licking up the water. She's such a cutie!

Tue 8/17/10: I like being internet savy! I discovered some pretty interesting things today. Did some detective work.

Wed 8/18/10: Emma had her therapy appointment this morning and I got to participate. I love my stepdaughter! She's such a wonderful little girl.

Thu 8/19/10: It POURED today while I drove to Scott's school to pick up papers. It's the Utah monsoon weather, as Margaret would always say.

Fri 8/20/10: Today was Scott's 7th Grade orientation at his new Junior High school. He enjoyed spending time with his friend Brett and seeing his new school. I can't believe he's in 7th Grade already!

Sat 8/21/10: Brad and I went to see "Inception" finally. We've been wanting to go for weeks. We enjoyed it, but agreed it wasn't as good as some of Christopher Nolan's other films.

Sun 8/22/10: Emma gave her talk in Primary today. She spoke on miracles that Jesus Christ performed while he was here on Earth.

Mon 8/23/10: First day of school! Emma was very excited to go back to school. She loves her new teacher, Mrs. Murray. She's excited to get back into the swing of things.

Tue 8/24/10: I watched an old 80's cartoon called "The Fluppies" on Youtube today. I spent my whole childhood thinking it was called "The Fluffies," so I never found it until now. It was fun watching it today. I remember watching it as a kid and loving it.

Wed 8/25/10: Brad and I started watching "Young Victoria" tonight. What a great movie! I wish they'd make more movies like it.

Thu 8/26/10: Scott put soap suds on Lizzy's head tonight. Lizzy thought it was pretty hilarious. He made her have a Mohawk and look like "Two Face." Silly brothers!

Fri 8/27/10: Lizzy went with Brad and I to Chick-fil-A for dinner tonight. It was rainy and wet, and Lizzy wore her adorable black and white hat to keep her head dry. Lizzy enjoyed her yummy chicken nuggets. Mmm Mmm!

Sat 8/28/10: Things went really well for Brad today! Mediation turned out much better than he anticipated. We celebrated in the afternoon and had a late lunch at Applebees.

Sun 8/29/10: Brad gave a fantastic lesson in Sunday School today on select verses from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. I love the way Brad teaches. He's naturally a great teacher.

Mon 8/30/10: For Family Home Evening we had popsicles in the front yard while we discussed the new parent-time plan the kids would be following. We wanted to know how the kids felt about the new arrangements. I think they're going to be fine.

Tue 8/31/10: We set up Lizzy's new dresser in her and Emma's room today. I had a busy time sorting through all the clothes and decorating things. My baby girl is growing up! She keeps out-growing her cute little infant outfits. Where has the time gone?

Willow Tree Artwork: Our Gift

I absolutely love Willow Tree products! They are so simple and full of silent expression. I love how each piece reflects so simply and beautifully different stages of life and the relationships we create. So inspiring! This morning I decided to use one of my Willow Tree figurines titled "Our Gift" to create some artwork. Here's the finish product:

Back to School

Scott is now in Junior High! Hooray for Scott! He has mixed feelings about returning to school. I think he would rather stay home and play video games all day, but he's also looking forward to attending his art class and science class this semester. I can't believe he's almost 13 years old!

Emma is starting 4th grade this year. She was very excited to return to school after the long summer break! She was craving the routine again, and couldn't wait to keep busy and accomplish new things. She's very much like her father in that respect. She loves her new teacher and she's excited to be in a new class.

My Husband

Just to state the obvious, my husband is wonderful.

I love how brave and courageous he is.
How noble, heroic, and responsible he is.
He's gentle and sweet, smart, and fun.
He's wonderful... Just wonderful.
I feel very blessed to be married to him.

My husband needs extra prayers at the current time. He has been under a lot of stress lately and his stress-o-meter is nearly full. Even though I know he'll endure it all no matter what, please pray for him to get through this. He needs it. I admire him so much for his strength. He takes his job as a parent, provider, husband, and protector very seriously. He truly does know what's best for his children. He will never give up fighting for their welfare, even when the battle is unfair and never-ending, he'll still persevere. I love and admire him so much.

Finding the Fun

In every job that must be done
There is an element of fun.
You find the fun and SNAP!
The job's a game.
~Mary Poppins

Visiting Family in Oregon

Every year we try to attend our annual Whitcomb Family Camp. This year we stayed with my Aunt Cindy at her house in Wilsonville from July 31st until August 5th. We went to see Multnomah Falls, Powell's Bookstore, the Lego Store, the Portland Temple, Cannon Beach, and we played soccer. My aunt Laurie adopted a baby boy nicknamed Binny in late January, and we were excited to finally meet him. He's such a darling! Lizzy and Binny are only about 7 months apart in age. They were definitely the highlight of Camp this year.

Here are some snapshots of our vacation: