Cute Lizzy Moments: August 2011

A PRESENT FOR DAVID
August 15, 2011

My little girl is such a sweetie! This morning she found a little plush bunny with a blue sweater I bought the other day at the DI. She held it up to show me. I told her it was for Baby David. "Oh, Baby David!" And she came rushing up to me, lifted up my shirt, stuck the bunny on my belly, laid my shirt back down and said, "There! For Baby David!" Baby David hasn't even been born yet and she already wants to share! I think she's going to be a great big sister.

HORSES SAY NAAAAY
August 22, 2011

Having a talkative two-year-old around the house sure makes life entertaining around here. Lizzy says the funniest things sometimes. She always has something to say, and most of the time I can understand it, but not always. This morning I had a fun, brief conversation with her. We were watching horses on Animal Planet, and Lizzy LOVES horses.

Lizzy: "What does a horsy say?"
Me: "Naaaaay!"
Lizzy: "That's right, Mommy!"

We were totally in role reversal during this very short conversation. I love hearing her mimic what she hears me say. In this conversation she was the mommy.

MOUNTAINS
August 28, 2011

Every Sunday morning, Brad or I will usually turn on "Music and the Spoken Word" to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As soon as I turned on the TV this morning, Lizzy came waltzing into the living room, trying to sway her hips back and forth to the pretty music and attempting to snap her fingers. I wasn't sure if it was really the type of music you would snap your fingers to, but Lizzy was doing it, and she was loving it. She then climbed on the couch next to me and together we listened to a beautiful arrangement of "Climb Every Mountain." During the song, video clips of mountains and other beautiful scenes filled the TV screen. Lizzy got exited by that. When a particular clip of a mountain came on, Lizzy desperately wanted to tell me about it. Her limited vocabulary kept her from using the word "mountain," so she described it to me instead.

Lizzy: "Look! Like a house. Like a rock!"
Me: "That's a mountain."
Lizzy: "Moun-tain."
Me: "You're right. It is like a house and like a rock."

And so the School Year Begins

It's hard to believe how quickly time flies. These two kids are back in school today and starting a whole new chapter in their young lives. I'm looking forward to seeing how well they do. I know they're going to be fabulous!

SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!

I'm 30 weeks pregnant today and I feel like a Rice Krispies jingle. My hips, pelvic bones, and ligaments are popping all over the place, especially in the morning when I just wake up, or if I change positions in the middle of the night. This morning I rolled over slightly in my sleep and my hip popped so loudly it made the baby jump. It was almost as if he were saying, "Whoa! What the heck was that?"

I feel like singing this song every morning.
Snap! Crackle! Pop! Rice Krispies!

I also feel huge and unbalanced. My stomach feels as if it's going to stretch wide open if it gets any bigger than it is. The baby is so big now that I'm constantly aware of every movement he makes. I get the feeling that he's big, strong, and healthy, but he's also not nearly as squirmy as Lizzy was. I hope that means he's going to be a calm baby. I was so spoiled by how good a baby Lizzy was. I'm really crossing my fingers that this little guy will be an easy-going baby, too.

10 more weeks to go! Or maybe even less since Lizzy came almost a week early. We'll see!

The Highlight of My Day: July 2011

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

Fri 7/1/11: Brad came home early from work today, which of course made Lizzy thrilled. We had to sing "I'm so glad when daddy comes home," since it's her new favorite song.

Sat 7/2/11: We went to Graywhale today and bought a handful of DVDs we wanted, plus Brad got his new White Stripes CD. We bought "The Emperor's New Groove," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Little Dorrit."

Sun 7/3/11: Tonight we watched Sleeping Beauty for Lizzy's first time. Lizzy loved the horse, Sampson. Whenever she saw him running through the forest she would squeal with joy! She also liked the forest animals and the dragon. After we finished watching the movie, I asked Lizzy how she liked it. "I like the horse," she said confidently. "You liked the horse?" I repeated. "Yes," she replied.

Mon 7/4/11: Swimming party at the Harman's for the 4th of July was a blast! It was overcast and rainy, but the temperature was still very hot and humid. Lizzy got cold quickly, so we moved her from the swimming pool to the hot tub often. She had fun sitting in her floaty. She LOVED seeing her relatives and had a lot of fun with her cousins.

Tue 7/5/11: Our baby Pumpkin is a BOY! We are thrilled! I'm so happy the little guy opened his legs for the ultrasound technician. He had them crossed for most of the time. I guess he likes crossing his legs!

Wed 7/6/11: Lizzy decided to help me fold laundry tonight. She's such a big helper! When she came across one of her papa's U2 shirts she got excited and said, "BONO! BONO!" She is definitely her daddy's daughter.

Thu 7/7/11: Brad thinks he knows what to do to fix the van now! He was so stressed about it yesterday.

Fri 7/8/11: Brad fixed the van tonight! Whoo hoo! He's been working so hard on it all week. Tonight we went out to celebrate. We bought some Slurpees then went to the car wash. Lizzy thought the car wash was "scary."

Sat 7/9/11: We spent all morning doing chores then spent the whole afternoon watching "Little Dorrit." Loved it!

Sun 7/10/11: Lizzy tried to say prayers out loud whenever Brad or I prayed today. It's very cute hearing her try to mimic her mama and papa.

Mon 7/11/11: Brad and I went for a walk with Lizzy tonight for FHE. I did okay the first half, which was very enjoyable, but by the second half my hips and lower back were killing me, and I was having round ligament pains. I can totally feel the waddling-duck syndrome coming on. Oh, the joys of pregnancy!

Tue 7/12/11: Lizzy asked me if we could play the "pi-an-oo" this morning. She sang as loud as she could while banging on the keys, "Twinkle, twinkle, lil-star!" In the evening we watched Nanny McPhee Returns. Lizzy LOVES live-action movies. She loved the swimming pigs and farm animals.

Wed 7/13/11: I just love it when my mother intuition takes over and I'm right about something. Now I don't feel crazy anymore.

Thu 7/14/11: Lizzy loves the cartoon "Spirit." She watched it twice today, which I originally didn't intend to happen, but she's gotten pretty smart with the remotes so I let her have fun.

Fri 7/15/11: Scott and Emma came home tonight! Emma in particular was overjoyed to be in her own home. She kept running through the house, seeing what had changed, and talking about how comfortable it will be to sleep in a real bed tonight. She was so happy, it was contagious!

Sat 7/16/11: Brad and I took Scott to see the last Harry Potter movie today while the girls got to play with their cousins. The movie was excellent! We had dinner with the Bruce-Clan after the movie. We watched Megamind when we got home. It was a very nice Saturday.

Sun 7/17/11: A Sunday with all five of us together was great! Lizzy screamed when she saw Scott and Emma in the hallway at church. She loves her brother and sister.

Mon 7/18/11: We had a wonderful Family Home Evening! Pancakes and black berry smoothie for dinner... tether-ball and outdoor play for fun... fireworks when it got dark. Lizzy LOVED the pop-its the best, and Scott and Emma had fun playing with the sparklers.

Tue 7/19/11: I made Grandma North's Mexican casserole tonight for dinner. It definitely reminded me of her. After dinner, Uncle Bob, Aunt Nadine, and Aunt Marian stopped by to visit before heading out to dinner with Grandpa North. It was great seeing them. Lizzy loved all the attention.

Wed 7/20/11: Emma went to Mill Hollow today. She was so excited to go!

Thu 7/21/11: Today was a day of preparation and doctor appointments. I took my glucose test this morning and saw my OBGYN. Scott went to see his podiatrist.

Fri 7/22/11: We drove to St. George today! Lizzy was a perfect angel on our long drive and gave me lots of smiles while she watched "Spirit" on her DVD player. The hotel we stayed in was nice and comfortable. The five of us had a "tooth brushing party" in front of the large bathroom mirror that night, which Lizzy LOVED.

Sat 7/23/11: The drive to Long Beach went by smoothly and quickly. We enjoyed visiting with my family tonight and meeting baby Eric for the first time. I love my little nephew! He's such a cutie!

Sun 7/24/11: Today was Eric's baby blessing. We enjoyed seeing the Montgomery family and having lunch with them. Today I started my third trimester! Baby David is getting bigger and bigger.

Mon 7/25/11: We went swimming at Sheri's condo today. The landscaping there was beautiful. Lizzy loved all the streams and rocks. We had a blast swimming and hanging out in the jacuzzi. We had yummy Buccaneer Pizza for dinner, which of course made Scott and Emma happy. They had pizza for two meals today!

Tue 7/26/11: We went to the Cerritos Library today. Lizzy had a fun time playing in the water fountain fixture outside the library, and she loved the giant fish tank inside the children's section of the library.

Wed 7/27/11: We had lunch and watched a movie with Rachel and Eric today. Then we headed over to Shoreline Village and went on an hour cruise around the harbor. We met up with Rachel, Craig, and Eric again and had dinner together, then we went shopping and bought some funnel cake. Emma found a few nifty things to buy with her vacation allowance, which made her happy.

Thu 7/28/11: Today was Scott's turn to be happy! We went to the Lego Store at Downtown Disney and Scott found a few new toys to add to his collection. We also went to the Rainforest Cafe and had a yummy lunch. In the evening, we met up with my parents and the Montgomerys for dinner at a park in Cerritos. Lizzy enjoyed feeding ducks in the small lake. We watched the second part of "Tin Man" at Rachel's home afterwards.

Fri 7/29/11: Today was a lazy-dazy summer day! We stayed at my parents' house and played all day. Scott and Emma were actually pretty thrilled about that, and Lizzy had fun playing outside and in the play room. In the evening, Rachel and Craig came for over for dinner, then we went to their place to finish "Tin Man."

Sat 7/30/11: Another lazy day! Croissant sandwiches for lunch were a big hit. Mmm mmm! One of my favorite quotes from Lizzy today: "I like to ride a horsies!"

Sun 7/31/11: I enjoyed attending the last of hour of church at the Long Beach First Ward today, and then attending Lakewood 1st Ward to hear Susie speak in Sacrament Meeting. She spoke about temples. She used a quote by Emma during the talk, which Emma liked.

Little Miss Accessory

Lizzy has become quite the accessory girl. She loves finding things to wear, whether it's jewelry, purses, shoes, sunglasses, hats, or just random items she may find lying around the house. The other day I went outside to help Brad clean the van, completely unaware that Lizzy had followed me, carrying out every single purse she could find.

This is what she looked like:

She is very much a girly girl.

The PUMPKIN is a BOY!!!

25 weeks along, and this little guy finally told us he's a boy! Hooray for being on team BLUE this time! Now I've got a lot of organizing and shopping to do.

Heritage Park: June 16th

I think June is my favorite month of the year. I neglected a few posts in June, thinking I would "do it later," but ended up never doing it until now. I'm such a procrastinator. We had such a lovely month this past June, spending time with the children, doing activities we don't normally do, and Brad and I getting some alone time, too.

Brad and I have been married 5 years now. We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on June 17th. Part of our celebration was taking the kids and Grandpa North to This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City on June 16th. Brad and I went there on one of our very first dates, back in July 2005.

We were so happy Grandpa came with us. The first place we decided to visit was Mary Fielding Smith's house, way at the east end of the park. It was a nice little hike getting up there. The view of the valley was gorgeous!

After visiting Mary Fielding Smith's house, the kids began throwing rocks in the stream by the house. This is something Lizzy LOVES to do. She had fun throwing rocks, and goose poop (much to my disgust), into the stream.

Later we headed to the school house. This was Scott's and Emma's favorite place to visit when they were younger. The kids loved drawing pictures on the old-fashion slates.

Lizzy of course LOVED the farm animals. She loved riding a horse, petting the goats and lambs, and seeing the piggies. She also got to pet a very friendly brown ox.

Scott and Emma loved panning for gold and making Indian necklaces.

Lizzy's favorite activity was riding on the trains. We rode three trains total, and she loved every single one.

This is what Lizzy looked like on the way home. Poor little girl was completely knocked out.

The Highlight of My Day: June 2011

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

Wed 6/1/11: Today was my 20-week ultrasound. I was anticipating the news of my baby's gender, but the little guy (or girl) wouldn't show us the goods! Legs were folded together. Oh well! At least we know the baby is healthy and strong.

Thu 6/2/11: My Emmy-girl needed her stepmother tonight, to hug her and comfort her, and give her good advice. I love the bond I have with her. She's such a wonderful, special, loveable girl, and I love being a mother-figure in her life.

Fri 6/3/11: Today we celebrated my wonderful husband's birthday! We had lots of fun, too. Scott did not have school, so we took him out to lunch. Then we picked up Emma after school and visited with her teacher. We stopped at Barnes and Noble for the kids. We played croquet, watched some Batman and X-Men, and had cake and presents. Then Brad and I went on a date to Virg's, took James home, and went to buy some X-Men tickets.

Sat 6/4/11: Brad and I got to go on a "real" date today! We went to see the new X-Men movie and left Lizzy to spend time with James and Marilyn.

Sun 6/5/11: Brad and I taught Scott and Emma how to play "Forbidden Island." We had fun! It's a great game.

Mon 6/6/11: My little unborn baby made me laugh out loud today. It felt like the baby was doing somersaults in my belly. Kicked so hard I saw my belly and shirt move up and down.

Tue 6/7/11: Lizzy had a little piano mishap today. She knocked my wedding picture off the piano and made a big deal about it. "Fell down! Fell down, Mama!" I helped her put it back up and she was very grateful. While I left the room she said very dramatically, "Oh man. Oh man, Mama." I found her shaking her head, looking at the wedding picture. I couldn't help but laugh.

Wed 6/8/11: Watched some more Pride and Prejudice with Bradley tonight. I love that movie, and I love watching it with my husband.

Thu 6/9/11: My beautiful little girl turned two years old today! Happy Birthday, Lizzy! We went out to eat at Fransisco's tonight, then we went to the park, came home and played in the front yard, then we had ice cream for dessert. I put a candle on Lizzy's ice cream and we sang Happy Birthday to her. She loved blowing out the candle!

Fri 6/10/11: Brad, Lizzy, and I had dinner at Valley Park in Taylorsville tonight. Lizzy enjoyed going down the slides and swinging. We went to Toys R Us after dinner and picked up Lizzy's birthday presents. We got her a rocking horse and a farm puzzle.

Sat 6/11/11: Today was Del Sol's annual Lagoon Day. We took all three kids to Lagoon and had a wonderful day. In the evening, the Bruce-Clan and Clarks came over to celebrate Lizzy's birthday. We played Forbidden Island and Catch Phrase. Lizzy loved blowing out her candles and showing off her new rocking horse.

Sun 6/12/11: Lizzy said her first 4 word sentence today. She said, "I want some more!" She wanted more juice. I was also very impressed with Lizzy going to Nursery today. When we got to the door, she didn't even turn to look at me or say goodbye. She walked right in and began to play. I was very happy!

Mon 6/13/11: I enjoyed Family Home Evening with my husband and baby tonight. We watched X-Men 2 (Lizzy had fun saying, "Scary," but not really meaning it), we played outside in the front yard, and we had some yummy ice cream.

Tue 6/14/11: Scott and Emma made the kitchen look beautiful today! I like them home during the summer!

Wed 6/15/11: Emma and I had lunch with Papa today, after Emma's therapy appointment. Lizzy came with us, too. Brad liked having lunch with his girls.

Thu 6/16/11: Today was Heritage Park day! Grandpa North came with us, too. We had a fun-filled morning riding trains, petting farm animals, and looking at historic buildings. In the evening, Brad and I had a fantastic time on our romantic getaway. We celebrated five wonderful years of marriage!

Fri 6/17/11: After spending a fantastic morning together, Brad and I took Scott and Emma to the Harman's in the evening. We did some chores for Marian, then we had pizza and played Nerts. Scott and Emma enjoyed building Legos and watching AFV.

Sat 6/18/11: Went back to the Harman's again. Brad helped Marian and Gordon clean their large fish tank. Lizzy and I cleaned some furniture. Scott and Emma watched TV and played Legos some more.

Sun 6/19/11: While I enjoyed Father's Day and we did lots of nice things for Brad, the highlight of my day was seeing Lizzy sit on her big brother's lap during Sacrament Meeting. It was the cutest sight in the world! Scott was showing her how to draw things on her magnetic board and Lizzy was fascinated. I have no doubt in my mind that Scott will be a fabulous father someday.

Mon 6/20/11: Scott went off to Scout Camp this morning. We decided to go get Slurpees and hang out outside together for FHE tonight.

Tue 6/21/11: I had a great time bragging about Lizzy during her 24 month doctor appointment today. Her doctor was very pleased with how well Lizzy is growing. Lizzy now weighs 29 lbs., and she's 35 inches tall. She's in the 93 percentile for her height. She's a tall girl!

Wed 6/22/11: Homemade chili tonight! Emma's favorite!

Thu 6/23/11: Lizzy had a fever today, which made me sad, but the Tylenol I gave her tonight really helped get her back to normal. She was very happy to feel better.

Fri 6/24/11: Fazoli's for dinner tonight! Lizzy looked adorable with her new white hat on. She had many admirers.

Sat 6/25/11: We got to go swimming with Aunt Marian today! Lizzy had a fun time going in and out of the pool.

Sun 6/26/11: All five of us drove up to North Ogden to attend Jacob Loveless' 1st birthday party. Jacob is such a smiley baby! You can't help but smile when you look at him.

Mon 6/27/11: Scott is on the way to getting his toes cured! YAY! He has some severe infected ingrown toenails. The boy never complained about them, so we didn't know how serious they were until he started going around barefoot. I'm glad it's finally getting resolved.

Tue 6/28/11: Lizzy gets so excited when we go to the library. Tonight she screamed out, "Lizard! Lizard!" at the top of her lungs, right when we entered the *quiet* building. Her favorite part of going to the library is saying hi to Draco, the pet lizard. She also likes making a stop at the drinking fountain and picking out a book to read.

Wed 6/29/11: Lizzy decided to dress up really cute to go out today. She wore her new white sunhat, her pretty colorful lei, and she had her new homemade purse strapped on her arm. She had an unusual assortment of items in her purse, too: a model car, a phone, a scrunchie, and a doggie treat. Who knows why she needed a doggie treat.

Thu 6/30/11: Scott is healing up! It's amazing what a little soaking and antibiotics can do. Next step is going to see a podiatrist.

Lizzy's 2 Year Stats

Weight: 29.25 pounds, 79% for her age.
Height: 36 inches, 93% for her age.
Head Circumference: 19.3 inches, 86% for her age.

24-Month Lizzy
Lizzy has completely left babyhood now. If I were to describe Lizzy in 4 words, I would say she's a confident, athletic, energetic, and intelligent toddler!

Little quirks:

• Lizzy knows how to say over 50 words now! I cannot keep track of them anymore.
• Lizzy loves to take naps and go to sleep at night. She still takes a 3 to 4 hour nap every day.
• Lizzy has a thing for horses now. She loves horses, just like her mama.
• Lizzy says, "Mokee" instead of "Miko" when addressing the dog. The nickname has caught on with the entire family now.
• Lizzy knows how to make animal sounds. She can mimic horses, cows, dogs, cats, pigs, sheep, goats, ducks, chickens, and even bees and guinea pigs!
• Lizzy can say all the numbers up to 10, but she often mixes them up and skips some.
• Lizzy likes to count to 5 or 10 before she runs across a room.
• Lizzy has become more self-reliant. She can open doors that are closed, open lids to forbidden objects, throw garbage away, clean up messes, open yogurt and fruit containers, fetch her own utensils, put away her own utensils, get out of the bathtub by herself, dry herself off with a towel, turn on every light in the house, and remove all of her clothing (including diaper).
• Lizzy is still obsessed with shoes.
• Lizzy can NOT stand messes! She must clean all the messes she makes. She loves washing tables and dusting furniture.
• Lizzy still calls belly buttons, "butts."
• Lizzy likes to sing and play the piano at the same time. She loves music!
• Lizzy loves to sing "Happy Birthday" when she blows out candles.
• Lizzy loves spotting "planes' and "big trucks" whenever we go driving in the van.
• Lizzy still dances at the end of family prayers.
• Lizzy loves watching "Gilmore Girls" with Mama. She gets so excited sometimes, she runs through the house shouting, "Girls! Girls!" She also likes watching "Simpsons" with Papa.
  

Teeth: All her baby teeth are in now, except for her right incisor. For some reason that tooth is being very stubborn.

Her favorite foods and drinks: chocolate milk, peaches, watermelon, chips, cherries, fruit cups, grapes, fruit cups, noodles, spaghetti, eggs, apple sauce, apple juice, hash browns, ice cream, and hot dogs.

Her favorite games and activities:
Catch and throw balls with Grandpa and Papa.
Read and sing with Mama.
Playing outside!
Throwing rocks in ponds, rivers, and streams.
Opening and shutting doors.
Spending time with Scott and Emma.
Visiting relatives.
Riding her rocking horse.
Blowing bubbles.

New Phrases:
"I want some more," "thank you, Mama, thanks," "I fell down," "please help," "I go bye-bye," "I naked," "oh man," "I love you," "I want chocolate milk," "I found it."

Another cute little quirk:
Lizzy loves saying hi and bye to random objects. For example, she says, "Bye-bye, hot, bye-bye," when she blows out candles. She just recently learned to say, "candle," which sounds more like, "can-nole."

Her favorite books:
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Suess
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastmen
The Perfect Pet, by Margie Palatini

Her favorite songs: "Open Shut Them," "Daddy's Homecoming," "Happy Birthday," Popcorn Popping," "My Hands," "B-B-Bubble," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She can sing almost all of "Happy Birthday" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" by herself.

Here's a clip of (almost) 2 Year-Old Lizzy:

5 Years Of Marriage

Half a decade ago, I became Mrs. Bradley North. It's hard to believe five years have come and gone!