Thanksgiving and New Stats!

Last week we had a really nice Thanksgiving! We left Madison on Wednesday after Mitchell got off work and headed north to a little town called Shawano (pronounced "Shaw-no") that's about 40 miles north and west of Green Bay. A wonderful family lives up there that I grew up with in California! The kiddos are all grown up now but I used to babysit them all the time! We had a nice, relaxed and fun weekend with the Easters! Audrey sure enjoyed being the center of attention and I loved the break! Several times I would look around and say- where's my baby? Inevitably she would be off having a great time playing with one of the kids. It was a win-win if you ask me! One of the sweetest things was when John (the 15 year old) got out his most favorite bear from when he was a kid. It is just a small bear but you can tell it was loved. He let Audrey play with it and she must have felt the love in this bear because she took right to it. John ended up giving Audrey the bear and she now cuddles up with him when she sleeps. We call him Easter Bear and it is the first stuffed animal that Audrey has really cuddled up with. So cute!

This was one of those times that I realized I hadn't seen my child in a while. I went down to the basement to find her playing happily with John and a pile of plastic vegetables. (You can see Easter Bear to the left of Audrey's slippers)

We all enjoyed a great game of Ticket to Ride. Jeff and Maddie tied for first! Maddie rocked it without help and did awesome for only being 8 years old!

Kyle was a little shy when the camera came out but we got an awesome showcase of his mad drumming skills! He really is very good!

Maddie got out her old doll house and Audrey loved it!

Audrey went to see the pediatrician yesterday. She is doing great! Here are her latest stats:

Height: 27.5" (93rd percentile)

Weight: 16lb 3oz (44th percentile)

Head Circ.: 41.2cm (11th percentile)

She is growing and getting stronger all the time and doing all the things a 6 month old should do! I can't believe it's been half a year already! Time sure flies! She has really gotten efficient at the army crawl and she motors all around getting in to everything she can reach. A few days ago she pulled one leg up and got one knee involved in the scooting, it's only a matter of time before she crawls on her hands and knees! She babbles all the time and puts some consonants together to say, "mamamama" "yayayaya" "dadadada" or "babababa." She puts everything in her mouth! She loves paper and I try to intercept before she swallows any but when I fail I find it a few hours later...better processed than before. ;) She puts everything in her mouth that is, except food. She doesn't seem to like food too much. She is mostly indifferent and would rather play with the strap on her highchair than anything else. Oh well, we just keep trying.

I took these 2 this morning. She is so stinking cute! I love her silly grin.

In her pretty church dress looking coyly to the side.

Mitchell and I are very pleased and it looks like we moved out of Utah at just the right time! Wisconsin (also known as the forbidden frozen tundra to anyone out west) still doesn't have any snow! We are going to make it to December without seeing ANY snow here in Madison! I think Utah is on their 3rd blizzard of the season... :) We have loved the weather here so far! Summer was warm with lots of lovely humidity to keep our skin and nails looking their best, we had a long fall that was breathtakingly beautiful and so far a mild start to the winter. I'll take it! I do have my plane ticket already purchased to spend a couple of weeks in CA come February though. I am doubting that the mildness will last much longer!

Since it is supposedly going to get ridiculously cold here we decided to do what the locals do and shrink wrap our windows. It helps seal off drafts and also adds a layer of extra insulation on the windows. It's an interesting process that involves double stick tape, thin sheet plastic and a hair dryer.

Adrenalin Junkie

It's been a while since I've posted anything. Sorry. I have been kicking myself for 2 weeks now for not taking ANY pictures of Halloween and I couldn't really bring myself to post anything since. We did dress up for Halloween, even though there isn't any photographic evidence. *kick* Audrey and I were parachuters, she was strapped in her baby carrier as my tendem jumper. We had a dozen helium balloons as our parachute. It was fun and the balloons were a hit at the ward Halloween party. Mitchell made his own costume and went as Hangman. It was awesome! This is Hangman as in the game kids play where they try to guess a word or phrase one letter at a time. Mitchell made a noose that he tied (loosely, it was a kids party) around his neck, and he used blue painter's tape on his clothes to look like a stick figure. It was pretty great. Of course Audrey knew nothing about trick or treating and her parents were too dignified/mature/dumb to take her around to get us some candy so we ended up having to buy Halloween candy on sale the next day.

Audrey continues to learn new things all the time! She has definitely perfected the army crawl and it wont be long before she is crawling on her hands and knees! She has started getting up on all fours in the last few days. She has always been really strong in that she developed great head and neck control very young and she will put weight on her legs if you steady her. She likes to stand up and hold my hands for balance and the other day she was doing that and decided she would let go with one hand. She let go then looked up at me grinning as if to say, "see what a daredevil I am!" I guess she likes living on the edge. She did that a few times and then when she let go with both hands she toppled to the floor and laughed. What a silly girl. I wont be surprised if she starts pulling herself up on the furniture in the next few months! Oh dear.

She loves to read! ...or eat the paper

Since Audrey likes standing up and because she is so mobile now I got her a new toy for her sanity and mine! She has a Johnny Jump Up. It is a harness that clips to the door frame and has a spring so she can jump, it also has a little activity center that plays music (so actually it's not really that great for my sanity). It keeps her entertained when I have to do other things that prevent me from monitoring as closely what she is getting in to. She likes it and I love when she spins around on her little toes. Future ballerina?

Does anyone else think she looks like Mitchell?

She has also been dabbling in a few different foods recently. She doesn't seem to really like, or dislike for that matter, eating foods. She is more interested in inspecting the straps on her highchair than anything else. We do give her foods every couple of days though. She has tried, avocado, rice cereal, butternut squash, peas and banana. The reactions are all pretty much the same, doesn't love it, doesn't hate it. Oh well, I'm in no rush. At the rate time is speeding by she'll be eating a steak dinner tomorrow, with a boy on a date! Ahhh!

There was a little piece of apple in the mesh bag and she was having fun licking the juice off. What a ham for the camera! (please excuse the craft mess in the background, Mitchell was traveling and when he is out of town, we don't clean up messes very often!)

As for the star of the show's parents we are staying busy and having fun! Mitchell has traveled a bit in the last couple of months which was fun for him. He got to see his parents in Seattle for a very brief visit between plane flights and enjoyed that very much. Melanie is working on a quilt and is having fun learning through experimentation. Applique isn't nearly as hard as I imagined! We are still blessed with blue skys and sunshine! Everyone is saying we are living on borrowed time though, the snow will come eventually!

Thankful

It is officially November! I can't believe how fast the year has gone by! Later this month we will celebrate Thanksgiving and I am reminded of President Thomas S. Monson's talk from the Sunday morning session of General Conference in October. He talked about the importance and blessings of gratitude. I have come to know that President Monson is God's prophet on the Earth today. I know that He is inspired by the Lord in all that he does to minister to all of Heavenly Father's children and to guide and direct the Church of Jesus Christ. I love him and will endeavor to show more gratitude, not only in November but all throughout the year. I would like to share some highlights from his conference talk and part of my own gratitude list.

In the Book of Mormon we are told to “live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which [God] doth bestow upon you.”⁷

Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.

This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways.

We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”⁸

Some things I am grateful for:

1. A kind, positive and supportive husband who sacrifices many of his own desires to provide for our family and to make me happy.

2. A beautiful and healthy daughter. She brings me such joy!

3. The sunshine!

4. That there is no snow on the ground...yet. :)

5. That I was born in and live in a nation that was founded to protect religious freedom. And that I may worship God as I see fit both in my home and in public.

6. For great friends! Some are next door and some are thousands of miles away but all are wonderful!

7. For technology that allows me to keep in touch with family and friends who fall in to the "thousands of miles away" category.

8. For daily chats with my mom about thoughts, feelings, important things and nonsense and everything in between. I love you Mom!

9. For the beauty of the Earth.

10. That I get to be home with Audrey every day.

11. For my talents.

12. For veterans of war and their brave and valiant service to our country.

13. For my education.

14. That I have had the opportunity to travel to many places in the world.

15. For the selfless sacrifice of my Savior Jesus Christ.

There are so many things for which to be grateful! This is just a start. I encourage you to make your own gratitude list. It is impossible to not feel happier when you 'count your many blessings.'