6 months old

My little munchkin is 6 months old (well, a little bit past 6 months now) and we are having so much fun with her. She has started scooching around and doing the army crawl, so we now have to keep things out of reach and we'll have to baby proof once we get back from our trip to Utah. She loves to babble and say dada, and is loving her fruits and vegetables...or should I say most of her veggies (she's not such a big fan of peas)!

Thanksgiving

We headed down to Virginia again to spend Thanksgiving with Alex's aunt and uncle. It was a full house this year, with Alex's cousin, her husband, and their two kids, and another cousin. It was great because Nicole was totally entertained by the two kids, and it motivated her to start scooching around - she has a pretty good little army crawl going!

We went out to Great Falls after dinner and enjoyed the scenery there, and then the next day we were able to go into DC and see some sites. I love being close to so many exciting and fun things to see!

Great Falls, VA

National Museum of the American Indian

Little Flirt

Ok, I know, enough with the videos! But this was too cute to pass up - I babysat Owen (he's 3 weeks older than Nicole) a couple of weeks ago while his mom went to a job interview. Alex thinks that Nicole is trouble because she's already flirting with boys...

Nicole's first REAL solid food eating

So our first attempt at rice cereal a couple of months ago was really more for our enjoyment, and we haven't done it since. These last few days we've been talking about starting her on solid foods for real, and I decided to start yesterday. Here is some video of Nicole - she was swallowing and I think she enjoyed it. (This is really for the grandparents but feel free to watch!)

Velvet Sky Bakery

Alex and I have been on a cupcake kick and a few days ago I discovered the Velvet Sky Bakery. They specialize in cupcakes, and we are big fans after sampling these 6 different flavors. My favorite? Mint Oreo - it was amazing!

Raspberry, Mint Oreo, Ultimate Chocolate

Red Velvet, Vanilla, Peanut Butter

Happy Halloween!

Our little cowgirl and her friend Madeleine

Nicole wants to show you something

I know you can't really see them, but she has teeth (I'm amazed I even got her to open her mouth like that)! Her bottom two teeth officially broke through the gums sometime between last night and this morning.

First Family Vacation

My travel bug was back, so Alex, Nicole, and I took off for Palmyra this past weekend. Nicole did amazingly well - the only time I got frustrated with her was when she wouldn't take a nap in the car ride home, and she was just smiling and happy. Guess I can't complain too much about that!

We headed up on Friday and made a stop in Scranton (aka home of The Office) for some lunch. Alex looked online for recommendations of places to eat, and the result was the Keystone Restaurant. It had the best small town diner feel, and we enjoyed our hamburgers and hot dogs texas style (basically chili without beans, onions, and mustard). It was delicious!
We stayed at the Palmyra White House within walking distance of the Sacred Grove and the Temple. We had a whole house to ourselves, and it was perfect for our little family (although it can accommodate up to 10 people)! We hit all of the Church History sites:

The Sacred Grove

The Smith Family Log Home

The Temple

Alex's ascent up the Hill Cumorah

The Book of Mormon Publication Site

The Peter Whitmer Home

Palmyra was beautiful, especially with the fall foliage - although it was a little disappointing because all of the reports said it would be peak and a lot of the trees had already lost their leaves. It was a wonderful weekend and the perfect first family vacation!

Macadamia Threads

My friend from business school started a business, Macadamia Threads, where she makes handmade, crocheted hats using funky yarns and unique buttons. I think they're pretty awesome, and I am amazed at her talent. Check the hats out here!

Hairbows

I found out about Kim's bows through some girls in my old ward. I love the simplicity of the headbands and bows, and they're so cute! You can check out her blog (click here) and her etsy shop (click here).

Nicole sporting the red with white polka dot headband

Wearing the brown ribbon clip with pink stitching

4 Months

Some pics of Nicole at 4 months!

Nicole likes to lift her legs and do a crunch so she's sitting upright

She likes to stand on her feet

And look at everything around her

And drools like crazy

Tagged

I was tagged by MaryAnn. Here goes.

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch:
1. The Office
2. Jon & Kate Plus 8
3. What Not to Wear
4. 30 Rock
5. Ugly Betty
6. Midsomer Murders
7. The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
8. Everybody Loves Raymond

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. The Mandarin
2. Cafe Rio
3. Blue Iguana
4. Aristo's
5. PF Chang's
6. Valanni
7. Sawadee
8. 5 Guys Burgers & Fries :) (mmm, now I want that for dinner...)

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:
1. Watched TV
2. Walked down to Keswick Village
3. Went to a flower shop
4. Made chili and cornbread for dinner
5. Made chocolate chip cookies
6. Surfed the internet
7. Sat on the front steps with Nicole watching cars and trains pass by
8. Ironed some of Alex's shirts

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Nicole crawling/talking/walking
2. Christmas
3. Going to Utah in December
4. Getting a new dining table
5. Dressing Nicole up for Halloween
6. Getting Ugly Betty Season 2 from the library
7. My loans being paid off
8. Alex getting home from work

8 Things On My Wish List:
1. A dining table
2. A new wardrobe
3. New shoes
4. Nicole being good on our flight to and from Utah
5. A clean house all of the time
6. A leather armchair for the living room
7. To travel the world
8. A digital SLR camera

That's all! If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Rice Cereal

Daddy, what are you putting in my mouth?

Mommy, save me!

Yuck.

Block Party

So Alex and I went to our first block party on Saturday. I don't know why this concept was so foreign to me - it felt just like a ward party! I guess it's a pretty big deal out here, so they have planning meetings and the day of the party they put up barricades on both ends of the street so that they could set up. There was a big blow up waterslide, lots of food, music, and people. It was nice because we were able to meet some of our neighbors who all seem like really nice, down-to-earth kind of people. We went back to our place after dinner because the hard liquor started coming out...let's just say that our neighborhood was pretty quiet the next morning! :)

Who doesn't like cake?

I came across this video the other day, and it cracked me up!

Football Season

It's fall, which means that it's football season. We were able to watch the BYU vs UCLA game today (go Cougs!), and based on this footage it looks like my little girl bleeds blue...

Milestones

We've had some fun milestones over the past two weeks. It's amazing how fast babies grow up!

12 weeks old

Nicole found her thumb

Nicole rolled over from her stomach to her back

Playing dress up and wearing big girl clothes (3-6 months)

Holiday Weekend

I love holiday weekends. Even when we don't really do anything special. Just the fact that we can veg all weekend long and have Alex around for an extra day is holiday enough! In true Labor Day fashion, we bbq'ed. A lot. On Labor Day we visited two different state parks near our home. I totally regret not doing this more often over the past year - the parks are so beautiful! I also think that Nicole is a nature girl, since she loves going outside and seeing the trees and the sun shining through them. Here are just a couple of pics from our weekend...

Natalie holding Nicole and Madeleine

Alex's idea of fun

Alex and Nicole enjoying the park

More Family Visits

Alex's mom and sisters, Shannon and Sydney, came to visit this past week. It was Shannon and Sydney's first time on a plane, and we're so glad they were able to come out. They kept busy and had a lot of fun - Center City Philly, Valley Forge, Longwood Gardens, Ocean City (aka "the Shore" - for those of you who don't know, out here on the East coast you don't call it the beach, you call it the shore). The girls were able to go to New York for a couple of days with their sister Beth who has been staying with us for the summer. While they were gone, Alex's mom and I went antiquing through Bucks County. And Alex was able to take a day off of work for the last day his mom was in town so we went out to Lancaster County (Amish Country) and Gettysburg. Here are some pics from the sights!

Longwood Gardens - aren't those water lily pads amazing? I've never seen such a thing!

Alex and the girls - Nicole, Sydney and Shannon

Nicole sunbathing at the shore

Alex, Nicole, and his mom MaryBeth at Gettysburg

2 Months

Our sweet baby Nicole is 2 months old. She's topping the charts at 12 lbs 9 oz, 23 inches. What do I love about her? Her happy time right after she eats. The way she kicks her socks off and leaves a pile at the end of the crib. The way she grunts after she poops. The way she stares at our ceiling. The way she wakes up happy in the morning and plays quietly in her crib. The way she curls her toes and flexes her feet while she's eating. The way she tries to suck her thumb. The way she sneezes. The way she laughs in her sleep. The way she smiles when she sees me. Can life get any better?!

New Food Blog

I'm joining the world of food blogging - check it out! http://bakeforlife.blogspot.com/

The Importance of Hobbies

I've been reflecting on what it is that I enjoy doing in my spare time, and I'm grateful to my husband who has encouraged me to find hobbies over the past 6 years.

Something I am passionate about is photography. I haven't pursued this hobby nearly as much as I'd like to think I have. I have everything I need to take beautiful pictures, but I just haven't had (or made) the time to do it.

I also love baking. There's just something about making a delicious, beautifully presented dessert that makes me happy inside. My most often baked good would have to be chocolate chip cookies. I thought I had the perfect recipe, but I still test out other recipes all of the time. I do have a tradition of making Alex a fancy cake on his birthday every year - there's just something about slaving away for hours on these cakes!

Another hobby I haven't pursued nearly as much as I'd like is reading. When I was young, I couldn't put books down. I'd read into the wee hours of the morning because I had to finish a book once I picked it up. I had a huge bookcase full of books, and my dad would take us to Barnes and Noble regularly and I'd get to pick out one or two books to buy. Since college, I haven't had that same drive to read. I'm still figuring out what types of books I like and what things interest me.

And lastly, I love to travel. I'm trying to figure out how I'll do it with a baby, but I have the travel bug and I don't think it will ever go away. I'm already thinking of where we can go on our next trip!

So, to those who are still reading, I'm asking for your comments. What things do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any favorite recipes for me to try out? What books do you recommend that I read? Any places that you think I need to travel to? Any tips on how to travel with a baby?

Such a cutie!

Family Visit

This past weekend we had lots of family come into town to celebrate the 4th of July and to be here for Nicole's baby blessing. My parents were here, my oldest brother Dan, his wife, Ashley, and their three boys, Josh, Jake, and Ben, and my sister, Megan, and her boyfriend, Andrew.

We kept really busy and had a blast! On the 4th of July we headed out to Gettysburg to watch a live reenactment. I highly recommend this as the way to see Gettysburg! There was the battle going on and a festival/fair, and then they have an awesome new visitor's center. Alex and I bought the audio tour on cd, so if any of you ever want to borrow it, you're welcome to!


On Saturday we went into the city and toured Independence Hall. We were part of a lucky group that got to go up to the 2nd floor of the building - none of us had ever done that before. We also went to Reading Terminal Market for some good eats, and then up to the Museum of Art to run up the stairs like Rocky!


And last but not least, Nicole had her blessing on Sunday. It was a beautiful blessing, and we feel so lucky to have had so many family and friends there. Nicole was an angel all through sacrament meeting and we are so proud of her!

Nicole on her big day

The men who participated in the blessing

Madeleine and Nicole

The family