Happy Birthday Shelby!

This is Shelby's birthday cake. We had a small celebration at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Shelby really wasn't too interested in the cake - just the frosting. What can I say, she is a girl after my own heart. Once the frosting was gone, she was done. She had green hands and was quite sticky. We got her all cleaned up and I am just realizing that we forgot to give her her birthday spanking. That is a real shame.

Thanks Great Grandma & Grandpa!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Jones sent Shelby some birthday money and she got some great new tub toys! I set everything up in the bathroom last night, after she went to bed, so when we went in for a bath this morning she was quite surprised. She looked at the penguin and then looked at me, then back at the penguin and started to laugh. We had her bath in the tub, instead of her smaller tub, just so we could have plenty of space to play with everything today.

Shelby had lots of fun and she cried when we got out of the tub. Apparently, she would rather sit in a tub of cool water and play with her toys instead of getting dressed and ready for the day. She normally doesn't want to get out of the tub, but today she was distraught. Hopefully, tomorrow she will do better when she realizes that all the toys are still there.

After

So, this is the new TV. It only weighs about 1/10th of what the old one weighed. I was shocked to find out that the old TV was not manufactured in 1985, apparently it was even from this century. All I will say is that I do not miss it and to whoever has it now, sorry but I threw the remote away. You will have to walk over to change the channel to another black and white station.

This is the best part. My new door was finally installed yesterday. It was on backorder for about 7 weeks! It is a good thing that I am patient and that Kelly wasn't here to cancel the order, because I am thrilled with the door. I never thought that it would actually be installed by Christmas, so it was a pleasant surprise to have it done. Thanks Honey for a great gift!

Before

For Christmas this year, Kelly and I decided to give our home some upgrades. First on Kelly's list was getting a new TV for the bedroom. I had no problem with the TV that we had, however Kelly was not cool with watching programs in color and or black & white, as the TV dictated. I told him that I generally just listen to the TV anyway, because I am usually working on some type of project while it is on. He wasn't even listening - he was too appalled that the TV was switching back and forth.

Also, I have wanted to get a storm door for quite some time. Kelly didn't require any convincing on this one because he is always wanting to increase the security of our home. Of course, that had nothing to do with why I wanted it, but who had time to talk about details. We picked out a door and ordered it back in October.

Birthday Girl

We have a birthday coming up for this little girl later this week! We had a party with both sets of Grandparents this evening and she got to try her hand at opening presents. She is not very good at it and like most children she liked the boxes and bows more than what was inside.

Mom and Dad gave her some fun books. Shelby really likes books and is very good at flipping through books, page by page. She will sit and play with books for 30 minutes and then when we put them away she gets mad.

This is the yummy Peppermint Brownie Torte that we had for Shelby's party. Shelby actually didn't have any of it, but it was very rich. I made the little trees on the top and they turned out pretty good. I forgot to take a picture of the dessert before we ate it, so this is what was leftover.

Shelby got a warm coat and hat and some really fun eggs from Grandma Jojo and Papa Rick. Grandma and Grandpa Summers gave her a book, some keys and some clothes. She also got a Gruffalo (stuffed animal) and a book called The Gruffalo from the Gibbons family. We are excited to read this book, but I am going to have to work on my Queen's English so I can read it properly.

We had a fun party and Shelby got spoiled. It is hard to believe that this girl is already turning one.

O Christmas Tree

Well, I really hadn't planned on putting up the tree this year. It is such a huge undertaking and normally Kelly does most of the work, not to mention trying to keep Shelby out of the tree. However, once we started seeing lights and trees in windows, I couldn't help but want to have a tree up. Rather than lug the huge one out, we went and got a small tree that we could enjoy. I did actually put the lights up rather than buy a prelit tree because I like colored lights and could only find prelit trees with white lights. I am glad that it is up and Shelby has been really good about not getting into it. I told her it was okay to touch it and after that she wasn't interested. She generally only gets into stuff she knows that she isn't supposed too. Anyway, we are glad to have a tree and can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

With the recent cold snap, we have had to switch to Winter mode at our house. We bundle up before leaving the house and always take blankets and coats with us when we leave. Of course, this means that I have come across a few projects to keep me busy and Shelby warm. I made her a hat that can be tied on so she can't pull it off and some mittens. I was thinking the mittens would be super quick and easy, but I did have to take out a lot of stitching and try again a number of times. Several hours later - I know have a working mitten pattern.
Here she is modeling my handiwork. She can't pull the mittens off, which is a very good thing. However, they are very difficult to get on her and she would rather not cooperate (what a surprise).

This is her fancy new coat from Grandma. It is super soft and super warm though I don't think Shelby appreciates the coat for much more than the big buttons near her mouth that she can chew on. I do hope everyone is staying warm and I also hope that it will warm up a bit!

Nice Rug!

The long awaited day has arrived that I finished the rug for Shelby's nursery, and it only took just over a year. I am just glad that I finished it before she turned 1. I am really glad to have it done and I am also glad that my fingers can hopefully start to heal now. They are riddled with needle pokes and I actually shoved the needle up under my fingernail multiple times on the same finger. I do consider it a victory that I did not get any blood on the rug during its creation.

I saw this idea for making a rug on a sewing blog and thought it would be a great addition to the nursery. I remember it seeming like a weekend project when I read it. Well soon after I started, I realized that it was going to take a lot longer than a weekend and being 7 months pregnant I wasn't too good at sitting down and working on it for very long. I quickly put it in a bag in the corner and ignored it. I decided to get working on it again in September. I have probably put in nearly 100 hours to finish the thing. First, you had to braid all the fabric and then hand sew it all together. I am glad to be done with it and Shelby seems to like it, but honestly my advice would be to buy a rug instead of make one like this. Any price would be worth it.

I just don't know what I am going to do with all of my extra time now. I have been using my nights to get this done for several months now. Perhaps I will just try to catch up on some sleep. I am sure I can come up with some more projects to work on, but they will not involve a needle and thread for a little while.

Hee Haw Farms

For Halloween, I wanted to do something fun that Shelby could participate in so after some thought I decided on a hayride. I looked up some different places you could go to go on a hayride and we decided on Hee Haw Farms in PG. I wasn't too interested in paying a lot of money because I really didn't think Shelby would care one way or the other what we did. Boy was I wrong.

We did go on a hayride and it ended up being a Trick or Treat Hayride. Every so often we all would yell "Trick or Treat!" and someone in a costume would throw handfuls of candy into the wagon. It was the best form of trick or treating I have ever done. I sat on my butt while someone else drove me around to people who would throw candy at me. Could it get any better? I think not. Shelby really liked the hayride and was even giggling at times.

We also rode the burlap sack slide, which was quite fast and fun. Shelby went down the most because she got to ride with both Mom and Dad. This was the only thing that I am not sure if she really liked or not. She did like the animal train ride a lot. It was one of those trains with big farm barrells that are cut into seats and painted to look like animals. She liked that ride whether she was riding or watching.

This is one of the goat gymnasts. They had this little tower built and the goats had to climb from one platform to the next to get to the top to get some food. I think one of the goats got scared on this particular platform.

They also had an elaborate petting zoo. You know me and animals. The petting zoo was disgusting and not one of us actually touched an animal but we did mingle amongst them and look at them. There were pigs, goats, chickens, bunnies, ducks, and a miniature horse that had a sign that said "I bite". Shelby's absolute favorite part of the whole place was Bunnyville. There was a big area that was fenced off and had little houses in it. There were bunnies all over the place in there and you could just watch them hop around. Shelby was fascinated with the bunnies. I don't know what it was about them, but she loved them.

We had such a great time at Hee Haw Farms and it ended up being the perfect activity for Shelby's first Halloween. The best part was that we had just decided to head home when we felt a raindrop. Once we got loaded into the car, the rain let loose and it was a downpour. Our timing couldn't have been better.

Busy Little Critter

While Kelly was home I found that I could get a lot done, even while Shelby was awake because there was someone else to watch her. This was kind of a new thing, so I was taking advantage. One afternoon, I was busy straightening up the house and putting things away. I had made several trips up and down the stairs, and a few trips down to the basement as well. As I was walking through the family room Kelly said "You are a busy little critter." I just assumed he was talking to Shelby and I laughed and thought don't I know it. Then I noticed him staring at me. I guess I just got caught up in being so productive I couldn't help myself. I will say this - we did get a lot of stuff done while he was here. Our list includes:

Fixed some problems with the computer

Fixed some other problems with the printer

Started a major cleaning out of all the closets (which I will finish)

Mowed and trimmed the yard

Fertilized the lawn

Cleaned out and winterized the flower beds

Changed the oil in both cars

Installed new windshield wipers on both cars

Got my car inspected, emmissioned, and registered

Made my Grandma's Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

I only mention the cake because it was a major undertaking. It is really delicious, but very involved. I think it took me 2 1/2 hours to get it ready to go in the oven. Then it had to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. It was worth it, but I won't be making it again soon. I still can't believe how often she made it, now that I know how hard it is to make.

Here is a picture of the really busy little critter. We put her in the car and then when we got home this is what she looked like. The problem with having her not remember last winter is that she has no recollection of ever wearing socks and apparently never feels that she needs to wear them. The shoes sometimes help to keep the socks on, but how in the world did she do this? This is how we found the shoe and sock combo on the seat of the car when we got home!

She is such a funny little thing and is always coming up with new stuff. I can't imagine what I am in for when she finally figures out how to crawl. Right now, she just rolls and sits up. She is super fast and can turn really fast now with the sitting thing, but if she ever has the patience to learn how to crawl I am going to be in some real trouble.

Happy Halloween!

This is Little Red Riding Hood (without her hood) before we left the house for the Halloween festivities. We had such a fun time on our first Halloween and were fortunate enough to have just finished our fun when the rain started.

Here she is in her Skeleton jammies. They are really good at glowing and last night she was fussing a bit so I went in to check on her and there was a skeleton sitting in her bed!

This is our casual Halloween attire and we are just relaxing today in it. Halloween was so great at our house and we had so much fun.

The Pumpkin Patch

We made a family trip to the pumpkin patch to pick us out a cute pumpkin. Shelby was just relaxing in the stroller and having a great time. The pumpkin patch is actually in our ward, so we just walked over. With all of the fresh air and excitement, Shelby was asleep by the time we got home and we didn't even realize it because she was wearing her sunglasses!

We had a fun time picking out the one we wanted. We haven't decorated it yet, but that will come. It was a beautiful Fall day and it was great being able to do things together Ü

No More Monkeying Around

The time has come that Shelby no longer wants to sit in her bucket while I stroll around the store. I know - what a party pooper. However, the good news is that I was able to find the cutest material to make one of those cart liners. I originally thought the moms at the store that had those were super paranoid germ freaks, but after a severe case of diarrhea (Shelby's, not mine) while teething, I have changed my mind. Shelby puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, so I thought why not protect her from the things that are easy. So I got to work.

We had the inaugural run today on the cart liner. I think it turned out super cute and Shelby has so much fun while sitting in the cart. This also allows me to spend as much time as I choose at the store, which is a pleasant turn of events. Here we are at Costco enjoying a sample of yummy chocolate chip cookies. We both gave them 2 thumbs up prior to placing them in our cart for immediate purchase Ü

Toothless Wonder No More

So, I know this photo is a little blurry, but you gotta take what you can get. Shelby is quite protective of her teeth - probably because she had to go through a lot to get them. I really had to work to get a picture this good. I also had to endure about 58 jackrabbit kicks to the throat. Not to worry, I am okay. Shelby went through about 4-5 weeks of some major teething. It was hard on me and I don't think it was much of a picnic for her either. However, it was worth it! She is sprouting teeth like crazy. I was just looking at her top teeth today and can already see the next set on top getting ready to come through the gums. I think she must love Halloween as much as I do and she wants to be all set with her Jack 'O Lantern look.

I had to distract her with a game in order to get the picture of her mouth open. So, we decided to play some Steamroller. A classic game, full of fun and destruction. She and I play it quite often, but I was busy so I had to recruit some other players. Monkey, Dolly, Doggie and Bunny were just the right team.

As you can see, Shelby has about as much regard for others as her mother. This thrilled me because I am sure she is going to make an excellent soccer player one day. Moments like this make me so proud.

This is a picture of the carnage after the game was over. It reminded me of a time in high school when Joey and I both tackled the ball at the same time, but hers was the only ACL that got blown out. I felt bad, but not as bad as when I went to try out for a new team and she was the person that they were trying to replace. Every girl on the team knew that I was involved in the incident that rendered her unable to play for a year. Let's just say, it took some time for me to make friends on that team Ü

Fall At My House

Our trees have been planted for 3 years and they are finally starting to take shape. The other day I looked out the window and saw that the big tree was full of color. I wanted to capture the look of fall while it was still warm enough to go outside.

Also, our Pampas Grass has these tall shoots that don't come out until late in the year and they look really nice once they are out. I kept wondering if they would ever sprout, but just about a week and a half ago they did. Once they start sprouting it only takes a couple of days for them to get as tall as they are. We got these for a couple bucks and they were mostly dead when we bought them. I am glad that they made it!

Here is the other tree that has some color to it. My other 2 trees are still green, but they also have the fewest leaves so I don't expect that they will be too showy. I love Fall and am excited for the cool weather.
I just finished packing up all of Shelby's Summer clothes and filling her dresser with long pants and long sleeves. In fact, today we broke out something that is new for Shelby. She wore shoes! She has some really cute Sketchers that Grandma got for her and today was a little cool and they matched so we went for it. Shelby was quite interested in the shoes and was kicking her legs around a lot. She never did try to take them off, but she did like looking at and playing with them. She is getting so grown up!

Pip Pip Cheerio!

Today was the big day! Karissa, Jack, Justin, and Elli all headed to England today. Justin is a pilot in the Air Force and they will be stationed in England for 3 years while he flies the KC135. I don't know what we are going to do without them because Shelby is fascinated by Jack. It was nice to have them around for a while before they left and we wish them the best of luck. Perhaps we will have to come across the pond for a visit. Grandma's house is going to be a lot quieter.......

9 Months Old

Now that Shelby is 9 months old we decided to lower her crib mattress before we had an incident. I was wondering if she would notice the difference, but she didn't seem to care. I noticed when I had to bend over to pick her up. The whole operation went smoothly until I was putting a clean sheet on the mattress and this happened:

Those sheets are such a tight fit that I accidently skinned my finger with my own fingernail while trying to stretch it over the corner. That's what I get for not cutting my fingernails! Oh well, now I have something to remember this day by.

Shelby did well at her appointment and her doctor commented on how strong she is. She is definitely making some major progress in the height department. It was her only percentile that went up this time, though I do not think that the nurse did a very good job of measuring her head. I don't know if the measurement was high or low, but the tape was not uniformly on her head. Oh well, she still has a smaller head. Shelby and I both got our flu shots at her appointment which I thought was fantastic because it was super convenient. Here are Shelby's new stats:

6 months length 25 1/4 inches 32nd percentile

9 months length 27 1/2 inches 50th percentile

6 months weight 16 lbs 51st percentile

9 months weight 18 lbs 1 oz 25th percentile

6 months head circ 41.1 cm 14th percentile

9 months head circ 42.75 cm 10th percentile

Shelby has turned into quite the little mimic. There are a lot of things I can get her to do like bang her hands on her tray or the floor, clap, or play peekaboo. There are also a lot of things I wish I could get her to do, but we are still working on. I think we are really close to her being able to do some baby signs back to me. I am always so surprised by all the new things that she can do. She is growing and learning so much these days. She is such a cutie and she makes my days so much more fun Ü

The Fall Foliage Tour

This weekend Shelby and I were able to go and visit Grandma and Grandpa. We were thinking of ideas of things to do and a drive to look at the leaves sounded like a great idea. We waited until Shelby's nap time and then loaded into the car. We made my Dad decide on the route and he put it off until the last minute to decide, but we ended up driving over Trapper's Loop and then up to Snowbasin. I was quite surprised at how many of the leaves had changed and how vibrant some of the colors were.
I had planned on taking some scenic photos, but I got a bit carsick and didn't end up taking photos. It has been a long time since I got carsick and I relearned that you should be looking out the windows, not looking at a crying baby trying to help her. I already felt a little out of place sitting in the back next to Shelby, so I got distracted. It all reminded me of the countless trips to Bear Lake in Grandma's car and the countless times I threw up in said car. It seemed to always be on the driver's side, backseat floormat. Good times.
Tonight when I got Shelby ready for bed, she was out of pajamas and her laundry was still drying in the dryer. I decided to see how big her 12 month pj's were. Well, now that I know they are already a fit, hopefully we can get some wear out of them before they are too small. I have raised the height setting on her jumper twice in the last couple weeks. It will be interesting to see just how tall she is at her appointment this week.
Shelby loves to play with books. Grandma gave her 4 of these cute little books and she plays with them all the time. We read stories usually twice a day, but sometimes more. I am hoping that she will love books her whole life. Kelly will be disappointed if I turn her into a bookworm, but what can he do about it? I'll tell you what he can do, he can join us at our readathons Ü

Sleeping Beauty Shelby

Shelby has been sleeping a ton lately. She generally goes to bed at 8:00pm and last week she was sleeping until 10:30am. Now, I don't usually wake up until I hear her. The first day when this happened at 10:25 I was a bit nervous about how long the poor little girl had been awake. I hurried and fed her breakfast, feeling like a terrible mother the whole time. The following day when I woke up at 9:30 and she didn't wake up until 10:15, I realized that she really had just woken up the day before. I think that what we have had is the perfect storm - a combination of growing, teething, and probably some sheer boredom mixed in there - which has resulted in lots of sleep. I really did appreciate the extra sleep, but we are back on schedule this week with the earlier wake up calls. I am really hoping that this teething business can yield some teeth, or a tooth, or something so we can have a break. I know her mouth is hurting and I feel bad for her. Why do you think we have been eating Creamies?

As Easy As 1-2-3

Shelby loves food! She has taken such an interest in anything and everything that I eat and this has helped her to be able to move towards eating more and more normal food. Just the other day she had Mac 'n Cheese for the first time. She gobbled it right up. She has also started feeding herself.
Step 1: Find something you can put in your mouth - preferrably something edible.

Step 2: Check it out and make sure it looks like something you want to eat.

Step 3: Hurry and stuff it into your mouth before Mom can take it away.

I am working on training Shelby to like all the things that I like to eat so that we can enjoy our meals together. We already have a common interest in yogurt and Banana Creamies. I tell you, that girl has good taste Ü

Shelby Behind Bars

Shelby is such a smart little girl. She can really push herself up quite high and look out over the edge of the crib, but that takes a lot of effort and can be tiring. Instead, she has figured out that all you have to do is push down the bumper and you can just lay there and look out. Much easier. She also has figured out that I discourage such behavior, so the second I put her in the crib she does the tuck and roll and pulls down the bumper.
The other day when I was putting her down for her nap, I got to see something very sweet. I have been keeping her extra binky in the crib with her so that she has a better chance of finding a binky when needed. Well, I put her in the crib and put her blanket over her, then I turned on her glow worm and turned around to pick up the bottle. As I turned back around to leave, I looked at Shelby and she was putting the extra binky in the glow worm's mouth. I guess she loves her binky and she wanted the glow worm to have one too. I thought it was very cute.

8 Months Old

Shelby is 8 months old today! She is getting to be so tall and she is definitely growing up. Here are some things about my Shelby:

-Shelby loves to wave and is getting really good at it. She waves at pictures of her Daddy all the time and loves to wave at Grandpa.

-She is so cute while she is drinking her bottle because she kicks her little leg up and down while she drinks.

-She has a serious case of the fake coughs. We had to leave Sacrament Meeting on Sunday because she was making such a racket. Again, a fun little habit that is reinforced by Grandpa. I think it is funny, but sometimes inappropriate.

-Her favorite thing to do is to lay on her back and gargle her spit. She has always loved to make different sounds. Once she figured out that she could make this sound, she hasn't stopped.

-She has showed great interest in anything that I am eating, so we are starting to introduce real food to her. I say hurry up and eat real food already.

-She is teething right now and will be getting her first tooth soon. Even though she is a little fussy, she is still so fun and almost always happy.

-Shelby is a fantastic sleeper! She goes to bed at 8:30 and sometimes doesn't get up until 8:30. Mom appreciates this more than Shelby knows.

Shelby is so much fun and I am so glad that I get to be home to watch her grow up. I see a lot of myself in her personality - this is both good and bad. She has a very strong will and is right on track to be like her "bossy cow" mom. Heaven help me.

Future Wildcats

This last week we had a fun get together with some of my teammates from college. The crazy part is that we have all had baby girls in the last year. This is not all of the babies, just those who were able to make it. We are all very much looking forward to them being teammates and us being able to sit on the sidelines and eat snacks while they are running around with no water to get in chape. It will be a chame, chame, chame if it doesn't happen.

This is Peyton and Kayla. They were born 2 weeks apart. I bet you can't guess who is older? The answer is Kayla. This was not a trick question, Kayla is bigger and she is older. It makes sense. I feel sorry for the strikers who meet up with Kayla and think they are going to get a shot off. Let me just say, if she is anything like her mom it will never happen. Poor Peyton, I just hope she is blessed with really strong ankles because kicking the ground can really hurt.

I had so much fun catching up with everyone and meeting all the cute babies. I look forward to them being friends in the future, whether they want to be or not Ü