Our Sick Little Seven Month Old

Holland is either teething or she has a cold. Either way, she didn't sleep well last night and has quite the runny nose. She's sneezing like crazy! Poor little thing. But, seriously, I have to say that Holland Bliss is the cutest little thing...even (especially?) when she is sick. She has smiled some of the biggest smiles for us on days that we are sure she probably doesn't really feel all that well. How did we get so lucky to have a baby with such an amazing disposition? She must have gotten it from her mom. Uh...ya...right.

Happy Day...Week

This is the first year that Tyler finally got on board with the true magic of his birthday!

I like love to celebrate my birthday A LOT...like, it lasts at least a week. Well, not once, not twice, but I think three times I heard Tyler say, "Well, since it's still my birthday week..." I didn't even care that that meant he wasn't going to do something that I had asked him to do, because it totally means I've finally convinced him of the pure joy that is a BIRTHDAY!!

Tyler says that having a birthday close to (and often-times on) Thanksgiving means that he kind of gets forgotten or bypassed due to other celebrations going on. So, I take that as a challenge to make sure he has a great birthday every year!!

This year the birthday boy's big day fell the day AFTER Thanksgiving. That morning I ran to Kneaders and grabbed some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and brought them back for a breakfast-in-bed feast. We kind of lounged around in the morning and then did some birthday shopping (with a gift card from Mother Lucy and Father Charles) that afternoon. For dinner I had ordered some Empanadas (Tyler devoured some recently at a mission farewell luncheon), which I had ordered weeks ahead to be picked up just in time for a quiet dinner at home.

Saturday, the celebration continued with Tyler's family. We went to dinner at IHOP and then back to our house for ice-cream cake (which I made!) and games. We have such a fun time playing the game that Holland gave Tyler for his birthday, Bananagrams. If you haven't played it, you really should! (Christmas Idea!)

Scarf knitted by 10-year-old Abby especially for Uncle Tyler. She's so talented!

Cheerios

Holland has recently discovered her pointer finger and has really been into using it, instead of her entire fist, the past few days. So, when she tried Cheerios for the first time today, she spent the majority of her time moving the Cheerios around the tray with her...yep...pointer finger.

That little activity kept her attention for quite a while before I tried showing her that you EAT the Cheerios. She didn't care, she was way too fascinated by what a great combination her finger and a tiny round circle make!

Gracias. Malo. Wir danken dir.

I have so much for which I am thankful. So many people to whom I should say 'Thank you!' And so, on Thanksgiving, my heart is full of gratitude!

It was a busy day. We had a early afternoon dinner with the Eppley's (in Salem) and an early evening dinner with the Pace's (in SLC). We ate too much food, but it was worth it to be surrounded by so many loved ones in one single day!

In the midst of this busy day, I did find myself having a few moments here and there (FYI - the only real alone time I have these days is in the bathroom) to reflect on the things that deserve my gratitude. First, and foremost, on my mind was FAMILY - the family I grew up in, the family I married into, and now the little family I have created together with my favorite man...ever!

Other things that round out my Top 10 in the gratitude department lately are:

• Disposable diapers and an amazing man to share diaper-duty with.
• My phone - so I can take lots and lots of pictures and videos of my baby, surf the web while nursing said baby, and talk to my mom, sister and best friend on a daily basis.
• 6-7 hour stretches of continuous sleep.
• The beaming smile that greets me each morning.
• A job that allows me to work from home so that I can be with my favorite little lady.
• The WWW - which I consult, almost as much as I consult my mom, about various baby/motherhood questions.
• The ability to nurse - because it forces me to slow down several times each day and affords me that precious alone time with Holland. I tell Holland stories, I sing to her, she tries to escape (sometimes) and all of this together has helped develop an unbreakable bond.
• The Exersauser and Johnny-Jump-Up
• A hot shower - whether it's at 9am or 4pm, I'm just grateful to fit it in at some point each day.

Obviously these are simple things to most people. But for me, these days, these things are complete blessings in my life. I am so grateful...and so I give these things my thanks-giving today!

Holland sat unassisted for the first time today!

I made this little shirt for our cute little turkey!

She obviously enjoyed her meal...

 

Rise and Shout (or Scream and Cry)

BYU vs. New Mexico State, Saturday, November 19, 2011.

Start Time: 8:15 p.m.
Mean Temp: 55 degrees

Final Score: 42-7.

It had been YEARS since either of us had been to a BYU Football game, so when our friends (thank you James & Michelle) offered us their tickets we were pretty darn excited!

We were hesitant at first and started listing reasons we should probably not go:

• Game starts at 8:15pm and Holland's bed time is 8:00pm
• It's supposed to be really cold!
• Parking might be a joke
• Traffic after the game might be crazy
• Will Holland be warm enough? (read: Will Brigitte be warm enough?)

Little did we know, the real reason to not go to the game would be: George Q. Cannon

Holland does not handle noise very well...or, really, at all. So, pretty much as soon as we got to our seats BYU scored, the crowd started clapping, yelling and singing, and then...the cannon went off! And that was the beginning of Holland and I watching the game from under the south end zone. She literally had a melt-down and cried until half-time when we left.

Two BYU students walked by and asked me if I would "please take this extra hot chocolate" off their hands. Uh...I think they actually bought it for me because they felt so bad for me. (Realistically, we could have left earlier than halftime, but come on - it's your first BYU game. Suck it up and enjoy it!)

Anyway, the hot chocolate episode kind of made me laugh, but at the same time I was really grateful. It also reminded me how much I love BYU and the students there (well, most of them). I mean, seriously, for the most part, as cheesy as they can be, BYU co-eds are really good people!

Don't worry though, I am not deterred from making sure this little Cougarette always bleeds blue!

 Seriously though...doesn't she look thrilled???