Family Pictures Lessons Learned

Here are somes things I learned after getting our family pictures taken:


You simply can't control the weather (I know. Go figure, right.)

Even though April is spring/summer in St. George, that doesn't mean it is in other places so think twice before you buy short sleeve shirts (especially for your baby).

When praying that your six month old will be good and smile for family pictures, you need to actually specify how MANY smiles you want.

A smiley six month old who is accustomed to warm weather, will NOT smile when taken outside for an extended amount of time in cold, windy weather. (Ok. She did give us a FEW smiles.)

When planning a trip, it is almost impossible to get away at the time set. (Right, Mom...and Dad.)

Driving through Provo at 5 in the evening can take a LONG time...there is such thing as heavy traffic (At least, as far as I am concerned. I am from a small town, you know).

It is possible to console an unhappy baby who wants to get out of the car and put on your make up at the same time.

It is also possible to get dressed in the back seat of the car, while driving down a busy street, and not be seen...at least I hope so.

My 6' 2" husband can also change his clothes in the car. Yes. He is talented. I know.

Did you know that movie theater bathrooms do not have outlets? Well, they don't. So forget the whole blow drying Alayna's wet, curly hair. (Lucky for me, the wind solved the wet problem.) In fact, after being disappointed about the outlet scenario, I got to thinking, what public bathrooms do have outlets?

Being out in the cold (without a jacket), for the first time in almost a year, can make you sick.

Despite all the bumps in the road, we still had a fantastic time getting our pictures taken. (Thanks again, Bethany!)

Truly Talented

A couple of weeks ago, Dan, Alayna and I had our pictures taken by my sister's friend, Bethany. She is truly talented and a complete joy to work with. We absolutely LOVE our pictures! These are just a few. I wanted to post all of them, but instead just visit her wonderful blog.

Just Because...

I can't get enough of her. I sure do love her to pieces!

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall...

Who is the cutest baby of them all?

This morning Alayna noticed her reflection.

Now she has loved to look at "the baby" in the mirror for quite some time now, but I think she may have figured out that "the baby" has something to do with her.

I am saying this because while I was getting ready, Alayna was sitting in her bumbo chair playing when her movement in the mirror caught her eye.

First she just stared at herself like this.

That was done for SEVERAL seconds.

Then she would move as she was watching the reflection. (No picture of this. Sorry.) Then stop. Then move again.

Which would then produce this reaction.

I think she was actually kind of proud of herself. (As if no one else could do this. Ha.)

In case you didn't get the idea, which I am sure you all did, then you can watch this too long (because I don't know how to edit it) video of her staring at herself in the mirror (which I hope she will out grow in her teenage years).

So basically this is for the grandparents or anyone else that is extremely bored, but I had to do my motherly duty of getting this little milestone on tape.

Can you blame me?

Family Firsts

Over the last few weeks Alayna has been able to meet members of Dan's family for the first time.

I think it is safe to say that she LOVED the attention.

Here is Great Grandma Jala and Alayna. She just loved holding Alayna. And of course Alayna didn't mind.

Aunt Karissa and Alayna. This was not their first meeting, but they still enjoyed hanging out together.

Cousins. Dan's oldest brother came to visit us with his family during their spring break. They have four darling, energic boys. Alayna was not so sure what to think of them. At first she was a little territorial, but then quickly started warming up to them.

Here are the two newest additions to Dan's side of the family.

Paxton is only a couple months younger than Alayna and he is almost just as big as her! It was fun to watch them interact.

Trevon is the oldest. He was so cute with Alayna. Always entertaining. Here he is doing just that.

Taylor (the next oldest) loved to talk to Alayna. He would sit and play with her and tell her all kinds of things. Look at how engrossed she is.

Paden. What a little character (and cutie). I had to post this picture because it simply is just too cute.

He loved to get right into Alayna's face and "play". Surprisingly she didn't mind too much.

Here she is about ready to give him a kiss (or eat him).

It was so great to spend time with family!

Pretty please, with a cherry on top

Due the fact that this crazy world we live in is just not perfect...

I have a favor.

If any of you blogging friends have us listed referencing our last name, please change the listing to just our first names (or anything else you would like, just as long as it does not mention our last name).

This will put my mind at ease.

Thanks!

Six Months Old

Half a year. I simply cannot believe it! If you are a mom, you know exactly what I mean when I say that time really does fly. These last six months truly have been the best of our lives. We sure do love this little girl.

Ok. Now I'm done with the mushy stuff.

This is a picture of our sleeping baby. She has now mastered sleeping without the SwaddleMe and pretty much with no trouble at all. It is fun to go in and check on her. We find her in some very interesting positions. She is kind of a crazy sleeper.



Here she is, ready to go to the doctor. (Kind of a weird facial expression, but we were on the go and I didn't have time to get a decent shot.)

She now weighs 14lbs. 2oz (15th percentile) and is 26 inches tall (65 percentile). I think it's safe to say that we have a tall, skinny baby on our hands.


The binky. It has become a new found friend. She has always used it when sleeping, but then did not want anything to do with it at any other time. She would turn her head away to make it harder to put it in her mouth. At church I would always want her to just take it and keep it in, but no luck.

Now, she does a lot better job at taking it when she is fussy and can even put it in herself. She doesn't put up near the fight that she used to and I couldn't be happier. What brought about this pleasant change? I think it was the teething process. Let's just cross our fingers that she stays this way for a while.


We have officially started Alayna on rice cereal. I know many babies the same age as her have started eating this long ago, but I have been putting this day off for some time. Mainly because it reminds me how old she is getting and I'll admit it, I am in denial.

Anyway, I think this facial expression says it all. We're working on her actually liking the stuff. (We have made some progress.)

Just over the last few days, Dan and I have really noticed how big she is getting. Not only is she looking older, but she definitely is acting older as well...

She now pushes our hand away when she doesn't like something, wants whatever we have, and thinks she can do everything better (such as putting her binky in her mouth).

It has been so fun to watch her grow and see her little personality develop more and more.

Here are a few pics of our sweet little "Layna".

Sorry. I just had to put the black and white one too. I couldn't choose. I am a sucker for black and white.


(Yes. She is laying on the clothes in the laundry basket. :)