Happy Halloween

From,

Our little ballerina

And another thing...

Motrin.

It is what has saved us through this whole molar situation.

And evidently Alayna knows the power that Motrin has. She will take it with her wherever she goes. She knows it makes her feel better, so she's not leaving it behind.

See.

Look closely in her right hand.

Over the last two days, when I FINALLY get her to take a nap, she falls asleep holding her bottle of Motrin. And I just let her. It must be her comfort, along with her blankie.

Looking on the Bright Side

Alayna is getting FOUR molars at the same time.

Boy, I didn't know what I was in for. In fact, I didn't even know that they got molars at this age.

Well anyways, her other six teeth have been nothing compared to these molars. Actually, her other teething experiences really only consisted of some whining and clingy-ness.

So, for the last couple of weeks, I have had a "different" baby.

As a result, her naps have been totally out of whack. And I am having a heck of a time trying to get her back to the good napping baby that she was.

BUT I am looking at the bright side.

Even though her napping is not what it once was, she has slept through the night (7:00pm-6:15am) the last two nights.

Yahoo!

That makes the weirdness of her napping all worth it. Right?

I really am trying to look on the bright side.

The Latest

Update anyone?

I am feeling as though I have not done a great job of updating you on what is happening with us.

So here's the latest.

With Alayna's birthday, came a special present from Mommy and Daddy.

Here she is trying it out.

After her birthday, the presents just seemed to keep coming.

Getting the mail was quite a treat.

This present she got in the mail is one of her favorites. The picture is kind of dark and fuzzy, but can you see that darling purse that is just her size? She LOVES it!

I can officially say Alayna has pretty much mastered the walking. Yes, she still loses her balance and has moments where she looks a little tipsy, but judging by how many times she was able to walk up and down the aisle in Relief Society on Sunday, she basically has it down.

You would be amazed at how well she is able to walk in these stylin' pink boots.

There really is no reason for this picture, except to get a look at that cute little face.

When she is not walking all over the house, she is chillin' with Daddy.

Yes, my child is amazing. She already knows how to read. At least she knows how to read cards that say Happy Halloween from Grandma and Grandpa S.

And Finally, here is the latest in the crafting area. Mod Podge has become my best friend. I decided the scuffed, white top of Alayna's bookshelf was too boring. Plus you could see the screws holding it together.

So with scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, and a little time, I created a more colorful top to her bookshelf.

One craft project down. Only 137 more to go. Just kidding. But I really do have a list of projects I want to complete, so I don't forget any.

More Nativity Info

Sorry I didn't share my source with you!

They are stickers put on wooden stained blocks, then a layer of Mod Podge is put over the top.

I ordered the set from here but you can also just order the stickers.

Happy crafting!

It's too early...

But I couldn't resist.

I am in charge of Terrific Tuesday (a night where women come and do crafts) for our church.

While searching for craft ideas, I came across this cute Nativity scene that is perfect for kids.

I had to order one and try it out. It was way easy to make.



The entire Nativity.

Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the Angel, and the star.

The wisemen.

The Shepard and animals.

12 Months Old

I now have a one year old on my hands and I can also say that I have survived a year of being a mom.


Over this past month Alayna has learned to shake her head as if to say no, but in fact most of the time she is meaning to say yes. I don't think she has the slightest clue what it means, she just knows she has seen me do it a lot.

She has also become quite the dancer. She will dance to any music, whether it is slow or fast, but mostly she likes to dance to the music on the movie Cars.

Her dance moves consist of banging her head as well as moving her body up and down.

Check out this video to see her moves.

She now prefers walking to crawling. She can take several steps without help. I would not say that she is proficient by any means, but she is getting closer all the time.

Here she is with the walker toy that Aunt KaLee and Uncle Ronnie (well, actually Easton) let us borrow.

Alayna now pretty much eats whatever we are eating. This is the case because apparently she thinks she is a big girl now.

Her favorite thing to eat is an entire thing of Easy Mac. Yes, she can and will eat the ENTIRE thing. We are constantly amazed at the amount of food she will eat.

And she definitely has a pot belly to prove it.

We have just learned that Dan had the same enormous appetite when he was her age. I am proud to say that she does not get that gene from me. :)

Here she is eating her B-day dinner....French Fries. (I know. Real healthy.) Everyone else chooses their favorite meal for their birthday, why not her?

French fries it is.

And for desert.

Ice cream.

She LOVES ice cream. I am proud to say that gene comes from me.

In fact, after her first bite she promptly said, "Mmmmm."

I couldn't have said it better.

Happy Birthday, Alayna!

Today my sweet girl turns ONE!

I am a typical mother when I wonder how this year could have gone by so quickly.

As I have reflected on my experience of motherhood, I can't help but just be so thankful for my beautiful little girl. She truly is the most precious thing in our lives.

While there have been many times that I have wanted to cry (and did), there have been far more times where I have smiled and laughed.

Happy Birthday Layna. We love you!!! What would a birthday be without a party?

Since Alayna's birthday fell on a week day, we decided to have her party a little early so that family and friends could join in on all the birthday fun.

Here is her fun little birthday announcement (minus a few details where you will find a white square).

The party started out with pizza and other delicious food.

Here is our birthday girl. Can you tell she is less than happy to be wearing her birthday hat that I made her?

But I had to at least get a couple pictures. :)


After the food came the CAKE!

Alayna had a giant polka dot cupcake for her cake, thanks to my sister who purchased the cake mold for her son's first birthday.
I am thinking that as long as we live by each other, our kid's will have a giant cupcake for a cake.

When Dan put it on her tray, you could barely see her over the top of it. :)



I was ready for Alayna to get down and dirty, but she really didn't.

She preferred to just pick little pieces off the cake. And her favorite were the polka dots.

All and all, I would say she was quite lady like.


After the cake, it was time for the presents.

Can you tell she is exited?

I think she got enough cake. Get a load of that pot belly.

She loved opening her gifts.

I would say she is a true kid because when she opened my parents' gift, she grabbed the oufit, tossed it aside, and went straight for the toy.

Here she is opening Aunt Karissa and Uncle Craig's gift.

More presents.

After all the presents were opened, the rest of us enjoyed some treats.

Ice cream cone cupcakes made by yours truly.

And ice cream, of course.

I would not be a true first time parent, if I did not post pictures of the homemade decorations that have been consuming my time for the last couple of weeks.

A birthday banner

A little banner that hung above Alayna's high chair.

A table runner and mod podge picture frame.

I also made Alayna's skirt and shirt.

And I was not the only one to make decorations. My brother Jordan made a happy birthday sign for Alayna out of legos.

How creative is that!

We had a great time. It was so fun to celebrate Alayna's birthday with family and friends!

Reminiscing

One year ago today was my official due date.

I remember having my doctor's appointment on this very day and thinking that if I wasn't in labor, they would at least induce me. I mean, couldn't they see how gigantic and completely ready I was to have this baby?

Apparently not because at the end of the appointment they sent me on my merry way.

The day came and went and no baby.

Little did I know, I would still have six more days of being pregnant.

And now here I am a year later, six days away from celebrating my beautiful baby girl's first birthday and finding myself thinking about how in one short year my life has completely changed for the better.

What a whirlwind! And I love it!

This is what I was doing

while watching conference this weekend.

Making bows.



Lots and lots of bows.

Once I got started. I just couldn't stop.

Now I think I am set for baby gifts. And Alayna should have every color of bow imaginable.



Here is our little model for this white bow.

Notice how much older she is looking.

She is a cute model if I do say so myself.


And here is a random thought for you.

Stretch pants. Why do they look so cute on babies?

Cause heaven forbid an adult should wear them.

My stretch pant wearing days ended in sixth grade. I can still remember I had a hot pink pair that were my favorite. Ahh...those were the days. :)

I am SO not ready

for this.

Alayna and I actually had to put on our coats. This is something she has NEVER done. I think it is safe to say that she was quite surprised (and not too thrilled) with how cold it was outside.

As was I. :)