good morning, beautiful

Amelia is becoming a kissing expert. I get awoken every morning to little hands grabbing the sides of my head, turning me toward her and then I receive several big, wet, loud kisses from tiny lips right on my mouth. And she doesn't always close her mouth to give you one of her REAL smooches. Of all the things in the world, nothing can beat getting woken up this way. I have been so pleased that she also gives other people kisses when asked nicely.

So yes, we do bring Amelia into our bed in those early morning hours when she wakes up much too soon for us. What a special time this is!! Snuggling and kissing, hearing her sit up and say, "hi! hi!", and then crash down on us for more snuggling.



Since it's the end of July, my little toddler has also earned a very nice little tan. It's so special to have a little person, squishy legs and fingers sprawled all over me, who is the exact same color as me in the summertime. And hard not to giggle when Grant holds her, who is not so bronze, to see such a big difference in color! Of course, her sweet round little face, bushy eyebrows and deep dimples reveal that she is indeed his baby girl.


Watching Amelia running around, learning more everyday and changing so quickly made us look forward to watching our family grow. That's why I'm 7 weeks pregnant with our next baby :)

it's no big deal...

BUT SHE'S WALKING!!!!



and if you think it's really cool...(like we do of course) here's a really long video of her first night of walking!!

salmon with raspberries

A couple of videos for you...

Amelia not only feeds herself, but also helps dad finish his dinner.

This is a little post-bath ritual she's been doing for a few months now. I think this must break some type of record for a person her age.

Bless my sisters

Since becoming a mom my eyes have been opened to how fortunate I am to be blessed with so many sisters, and of course a fantastic sister-in-law. If there's one thing I hope to give Amelia it is the gift of a family like I have. I don't know what I would do without the unconditional comfort and support I receive immediately from each of them, while they expect nothing in return. So many times I just need a "we've been there" phone call from an experienced older sister with tried-and-true ideas; or the comfort that comes from one of them saying "it's a stage, there's absolutely nothing you can do but hang in there". Not to mention the familiar way they all can grab Amelia and shower her with kisses, knowing exactly how to make a 13-month old giggle. I can just sit back knowing there is not a hint of judgement in any of them, only a genuine nod of the head that they know exactly how fun, frustrating and frantic having a toddler can be.

And the very special blessing that I have that very few people get, is a twin sister. Meg is not only just the aunt that looks, talks and moves exactly like Amelia's mom; but she is the living, breathing version of me, pre-Amelia. I get a peek at who I was before everything changed. In other words, I get a timely "what the heck are you doing??" from Megan to remind me of who I was, and standards I had before Amelia came along. For example, pleasant suggestions to not let Amelia completely run my life, or demanding me to give her to a grandma and get the heck out of the house. Or to remind me that some people actually enjoy talking about things other than naps, laundry, and how my daughter is the cutest, funniest and smartest.

So, all this to say I don't know what I would do without my sisters. I would be lost and crazy. Lost...and crazy. I love all of you.

roughing it will have to wait

Grant and I love camping, are good at it, and have always been pretty low-maintenance when it comes to sleeping arrangements and necessities. I love the old saying, "You don't prepare to fail, you fail to prepare", and have always thought that with efficient planning and packing, any camping trip can be a ton of fun. Amelia strongly proved us wrong last weekend. We went camping with my parents and Sam and Faye (5 y/o niece & nephew) up at Whiskey Creek. It was beautiful weather, my parents trailer is big, nice, new, clean and comfortable and my mom is literally a loving servant for us. I did a fantastic job packing everything we would need. Yet, Amelia had an incredibly difficult time sleeping at night. Even with the gorgeous view and peaceful surroundings, our lack of sleep left us (mostly me) crabby and tense. Bringing a one year old camping is a difficult task, and the worry of bothering the people you may be camping with only magnifies the stress. This little lesson can only be learned through experience, especially if you have a "we can handle it, we're tougher than most people" type of attitude like myself.

I know it's my fault; I've trained Amelia to be a high maintenance kid. But in looking back over the last year, I don't regret making life as comfortable as possible for Amelia's first year. Maybe with the second kid I won't be so crazy; unconciously tending to her every need to assure smooth naps, mealtimes, playing, and evenings. I can honestly say I've done the best I can without knowing what the heck I'm doing, and learning as I go.

Even with the rough nights, there were definitely some fun times during our trip. And yes, we will definitely be doing this again, just not with a one-year old :) Someday Amelia will learn to rough it.

taste of success

I have mentioned swim lessons a few times now. Well, yesterday we had a real break-through. Amelia has moved up to the next age level since turning one. She is the youngest one in her class of eight toddlers. All of them are walking, while she can barely stand on her own. So, although she fits in pretty well, she doesn't follow all of the activities perfectly. By the end of class she gets frustrated with me moving her arms and feet for her, trying to get her to paddle and kick while I hold her, and usually ends up just hugging me so I'll quit treating her like a puppet.

Yesterday, that all changed. I don't know if it was the long nap and full tummy before class, but Amelia was finally kicking and paddling on her own, letting me hold her an arms length away from me, and holding onto the water dumbbells while I led her around.


These are water dumbbells. She floats on her tummy while stretching her little arms out and hold onto the bar of this floating dumbbell. I thought it would take years for her to get the hang of this, judging from previous awkward and somewhat frustrating attempts. She looked so adorable and content floating on the water with her chubby little legs fanned out behind her. I have to admit I kind of guided her toward our instructer a few more times than necessary, making sure she saw Amelia's success.

I know this is probably so boring to everyone else, but I'm getting a taste of that crazy joy my parents probably got from watching me and Meg succeed in sports. I even had this weird urge to stop somewhere for a milkshake after swim lessons to reward her for a great job!! But I'll wait a couple more years for that :)

Long days made worth it

While Grant's new job is a fantastic oppurtunity and will hopefully pay off, his 12-14 hour work days make for an endless day for this ol' mom. In addition, me trying to squeeze every moment she's asleep into typing reports for Lee means I am literally working a 24 hour day. It is not easy, and leaves me feeling exhausted, cranky, and a bit frustrated at times.

However, I've found a few things that make it all worth it. Even when I feel like I want to give up, when it's time to rock Amelia to sleep, everything is okay. She literally melts into my arms, her chubby cheek lays on my shoulder facing me, and her light little arms hold my neck and I get to watch her drift to sleep as we rock together. Her perfectly shaped little mouth usually hangs open with those sweet little lips, and I feel each warm breath on my neck. Any frustration I had washes away, and I feel truly happy.

Also, when Grant's gone for so much of the day, it makes the times that we get to have together so much more special. I am so thankful for my little family.