Fruit Snacks

We’ve been having so much fun! I’m experimenting with my camera, and although I’m no professional, I can see how a good camera makes a huge difference! I certainly feel like a profesh :) They load on my computer a lot faster too. Anyway, we’ve been all business as usual, and Brooklyn is growing faster than I can keep up with! She has added a few words to her vocabulary – light (lathhh), Jesus (sess), uh oh (ohh), and that (that!). She also makes her own doggie noises that sound like monkeys, and I can tell she is understanding me now. When I ask her where something is, she’ll find it. She loves to nod her head and say “yeah!” – it’s adorable. She can shake her head “no” too, but doesn’t say that yet. She sorts her food, and doesn't like to eat unless she puts it in her own mouth. She knows how to be soft with animals, and absolutely loves them. She sticks her face right in their face and pets them. It’s sweet.

Craig and I are going on a date tonight! I can’t wait! Dates are so precious – just me and him! I have learned to treasure those moments, even though I love being with Brooklyn. There’s something refreshing about conversing with another adult about adult things… It’s nice. And I always love spending time with my hubby, because I rarely see him! He has school two nights a week, and when he gets home from work, he often has to do homework.

I try to get my homework done during naptimes, but sometimes a 2 hour nap just isn't enough time! I read a blog post that emphasized how much children understand when they're being ignored, so I'm staying off the computer when Brooklyn is awake. I also try to stay off my phone as much as possible, and I see now what I've been missing. Not that I blatantly ignore her, but she is so much happier when I can give her my full attention. Since she's our only kid, I want to spend as much time with her one on one before we have another one. This is our time together! Just the two of us! Here are some fun times:

Bathtime! We have fun. She splashes and gets water all over the floor, and I splash her back and make her look like a Who from Whoville. :)

This was one of my attempted "photo shoots". It was a horrible failure. Brooklyn was in a terrible mood and wouldn't even crack the beginnings of a smile! She just trudged around like a grumpy pants.



And she got stuck in the fence. It took us awhile to get her out, and then she just went right back in.




This is the face she makes when I say, "smile!" It cracks me up. She looks like Craig's baby pictures to a T!

My little Elvin Princess.

She was eating an apple the other day, and she started hitting her chair and wanting more, so I turned around and saw this. When I pulled it off of her head, she looked at me like I was magic! She squealed and grabbed it from me and ate it.

Her new favorite game - carrying a pillow around the house and falling on it. It's. So. Funny. She does it on the bed too; she laughs and laughs until I'm laughing too. Simple pleasures.



Here I am a little ashamed. I put her hair in pigtails after not doing it for a long time, and I just couldn't help myself. I just used some water and a comb and those babies stuck straight up like antennas! This face says to me, "Mom, you're mean. I look ridiculous."


This was her face when she saw a dalmation running across the parking lot. She was ecstatic and chased him all the way to the next building. Unfortunately he went inside and she didn't get to meet him. :( Cutest face ever.

Another new trick is taking off my headband and putting it on her own head. Then back on mine, and hers, etc. I don't know why this is so funny to her but it makes her laugh till she's red in the face. This one broke after we played with it for awhile :( Lesson learned!

The other day I was having a terrible day (we're transitioning to one nap) and decided to comfort myself with a pack of shark fruit snacks, our favorite. I opened them up and dumped them out, and they were all yellow. Ok, there were two oranges, but those are just as bad. Seriously?!? No purples, no reds, no pinks... it was awful. I should write them a letter.

Back to December

Oh my. There's a lot to cover. But I am master of summarizing, so it won't be too bad. WARNING: there will be many pictures. Of my little sweetie!

Our Thanksgiving was nice. We went to Grandma and Grandpa Davis's, and had a great time.

Brooklyn's birthday was fun too. She turned 1! We had a Harry Potter themed party, and thanks to all the help we had from family and friends, it was a huge success! She loved opening presents, although she was more interested in paper and ribbon than what was actually inside. Typical kid.

She also enjoyed her cupcake! She was very dainty at first (she is a little ocd about messes), but after a little help, she got some chocolate on her face. :) It was fun to see her when everyone was looking at her! I thought she would cry, but she didn't. She just looked around and smiled at everyone. There goes my theory that she's shy. She loves being the center of attention!

This picture is from Wiggle Worms at the library. She loves to shake the maracas!

Christmas was really nice too (I didn't get any pictures of Christmas morning! I couldn't believe it. I will not make that mistake again!). Here are our stockings, filled to the brim with Santa's delights!

We spent our New Years in Las Vegas visiting my family. We went with Matt and Jen to a murder mystery party! It was a blast. We took a moment from our game playing adventures with them and Mom and Dad to acknowledge the new year. Brooklyn was an angel the whole time. She really warmed up to my parents and adores my dad. She was great on the road, too!

Buffalo Wild Wings in Utah. Best idea ever.

Brooklyn's most common face. When she sees dogs. She thinks they say, "Ooo! Ooo!" like a monkey.

Life with Brooklyn is fun. She is pretty happy most of the time, and she is learning so much! I can see how much she is growing and developing, and sometimes she surprises me. She understands a lot more than I think!

However, some days are like this.

She loves apples.

She loves to read! Books are her favorite toy.

And of course, she loves Bucket. Who doesn't?

She is her father's child.

Giving kisses to Bucket.

So my update was not nearly as long as I thought! Brooklyn is doing great :) She makes our life so special! And we're about halfway through the semester in school, which means Craig only has 1 1/2 left! Yippee!

Also, I have a new camera. I was complaining to Craig about how much I despise my camera, and he said, "Hey! I have this nice one in the closet that I've been keeping for like 6 years... why don't you see if it's a good one?" It is.

Talents

I find myself in a boat. A boat with many other people. It's called the "everyone has more talent than me" boat. The other night I was hanging my head in self pity at my lack of abilities, looking at others and seeing all the things they can do, that I can't. I'm not crafty. I don't know anything about photography. I don't have creative ideas to use with Brooklyn. I can't sew. I can't plan parties. I'm not a good writer, even though I love to write. I don't know anything about fashion. Sure, I can play the piano pretty well, I can sing, I am a massage therapist, a piano and voice teacher, a mother, wife, and student.. but that doesn't matter. It only matters what I can't do. When I told Craig how I felt, he laughed. I think he thought I was joking... but sadly enough I wasn't! I said all those things with a straight face, and the indignation of a 12-year-old who doesn't have a cel phone. After a long conversation with my sweet hubby (who was trying not to doze off while I soaked my pillow with tears - it was after midnight and he had to wake up at 4:50 am), I realized I was being ungrateful! After being forced to look at all the things I had, I was ashamed that I was upset for not being given more talents! Eek! Watch out for lightning.

The next day, I was talking to my sister Melanie (who is my twin - not literally, but pretty much we are exactly the same), and she brought up the point that the reason I don't have those "talents" is because I just haven't done them yet. I "can't" make crafty things to decorate my house because I just haven't tried! If I learned how - BAM! Talent. Once I pick out a project to learn on my sewing machine - BAM! Expert. The key is learning. I was lamenting my lack of natural abilities without realizing that most people have to work to learn a new talent. People don't come out the womb with a full set of knowledge about modpodge. I was being ridiculously silly for thinking this things would just come to me. I'm a big kid and I get to put some more wrinkles in my brain. Besides, who can stay depressed when they get to look at THIS face every day?!

I'm talking about the baby, not my dad. :) If Dad lived here, that would be different! I don't see his face every day.

Anyway, Brooklyn doesn't judge me. She doesn't compare herself to me. You can only compare yourself to "old you". When I think of the things I've learned to do as of late, I feel a little sheepish for being dramatic. As I'm learning how to swim (competitively. I can doggie paddle:) ), I can see how far I've come from the first time I stepped into a pool some months ago. I don't have to look at the 11-12 year old swim team that swims faster and better than me! I just picture the "old me" in the lane next to me, and I wave as I lap her. :)

Basically what I'm trying to say is that the only thing standing in the way of you and what you "wish" you could do.. is YOU. Don't hold yourself back. I can't sit on the couch and will the sewing gods to send me a revelation. I need to get up off my butt, pick a project, and learn from experience! Slow and steady wins the race! (When I say this phrase, I think of The Simpsons, when they're all go-karting. Marge says, "Slow and steady wins the race!" as all the kids and Homer zoom past her... hahahaha makes me laugh every time!") So here's my list of the next few project I am going to perfect and turn into my talents:

• Making headbands/bows for Brooklyn
• Make the cute "weight loss" jars I saw on Pinterest
• Learn some photography!
• Modpodged picture frames
• Decor for holidays
• Toys for Brooklyn
• 1 sewing project
• Photo frame with a personal quote
• Big "DAVIS" sign for our wall
• Update my blog more frequently - try my hand at writing :)

So there we go! I am about to become much more talented than the "now me". Ha ha! Ha. Luckily not many people read my blog, so I will experiment with the least amount of judgment! Next post will be an update on Brooklyn's birthday, my birthday, Christmas and New Years! Yep, I'm that far behind. So if anyone is reading this, choose a new talent to cultivate! Add it to your list of things you're good at!

As Fiyero would say, "It's just life, so keep dancing through!" Ah. That reminds me. I want to learn to dance!

Birthdays

Yes, he's holding two slim jims.

Birthdays are my favorite. For some reason, when it's someone's birthday in my family, I have a great day. Nothing can get me down. Birthdays are like a drug to me. Haha in a good way! Anyway, today is Craiggy's birthday! And oh, the day I've had. I started out by writing him a lengthy letter which I left on the table for him when he got up. I got up early to go swimming and was the first to tell him happy birthday (this is important to me)! I had carved "I love you" with a heart into the bar of soap in our shower, and secretly got a little post-it in his lunchbox. Which is good, because apparently they forgot at work that it was his birthday, and didn't do the normal celebration. :( SO when I got home from swimming, it had snowed! It hasn't snowed practically all winter, and I was pretty excited. I was even more excited to jump out of my car and scrape his car off! I brushed off all the snow and wrote "I love you" again in the snow on the hood of the car. Oh, what fun! I went inside to see him playing with Brooklyn, who woke up before work for the first time in weeks. She must have known it was his birthday and wanted to see him (he has school Wed and Thurs nights, so he sees her Tuesdays, and then not until Friday night). We shared a lovely birthday hug and kiss, and we waved him on his way. We went all the way outside to wave as he drove away. What a guy.

In honor of my beloved's birthday, I want to share the 5 things I love most about him. I know a lot of grateful women out there think their husbands are the best, but for me, it's Craiggy.

1. His desire to be righteous. He is the guy who loves to be at every service project, church meeting, or anything of the sort. Like, he really loves to be there. Not because he's supposed to, but because he values the feeling of doing what's right over any other feeling. He has learned that you can't replace that peace with anything else, and I love him for it. I know I can count on him to do the right thing.
2. His sense of humor. Craig can find a way to put humor into anything. For those of you who know him, you may wonder what I mean, because he is quiet. He's quiet around others, not because he's shy but because he doesn't have anything to say. But when he does.. watch out. He makes me laugh every single day in the most random and unforeseen ways. He is the master of using inside jokes to his advantage (for example, I can NOT stay mad when he imitates the little ballerina girl from AFV), and isn't afraid to look silly if it makes me laugh. His expressions and outbursts are priceless.
3. He's willing to do anything to make me happy. It's hard to be at home all day with a 14-month old, and especially when he has school 2 nights in a row during the week. Life can be tough. But he always comes home with a smile (often a tired smile) for me, and sometimes he'll bring me home a special treat if I've had an especially rough day. Granted, I do occasionally have to hint strongly or say straight up if I want one, but he is always willing to do it. Whatever it is. No matter how he's feeling, he puts me and Brooklyn as his #1 priority, and I love that. We are always first for him.
4. His ever-lasting patience with Brooklyn and me. I have never seen him roll his eyes when I ask him to change a diaper, even in the middle of the night. He doesn't complain about giving her baths or feeding her when he's home. He never says, "I just want to relax!" even though I know he does. He treats that girl like a princess. He treats me like a princess, and heaven knows I don't act like one.
5. His hygiene. Yes, I realize that sounds weird. It's something I don't know if I'll ever fully appreciate, seeing that I've never lived with any other men. He is immaculate. He never leaves his stuff laying around (literally, never), showers every day, makes the bed (at least his side, if I'm still sleeping), does the dishes, picks up toys, and he constantly smells good. Just naturally. Again, I love it!

Really, I could go on, but I'll spare you. I love Craig so so so much, and I hope I succeed in showing him. Tonight he has class and won't be home until at least 10 pm, but I have my massage table all set up and ready for him when he gets home! I wish I could give him more, because I know he deserves it, but he always tells me what he wants most is for me to be happy. So that's what I'm working on - cause you know that when Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

Happy birthday to my sweet Craiggy! You are my hero.