Beautiful Oregon

Lola and I are on a little vacation in Oregon, hanging out with two of the must adorable pups and two sweet kitties.  Lola did really well on the flight, thank goodness, though she did fuss a little. The people around us were very compassionate.

The weather has been a welcome change from the Phoenix heat. It's nice to have some moisture and cool temps!

I get to take the pups on adventures, and Lola and I welcome the outdoorsiness.

Patrick is still in Utah, working hard to get the shop ready to move to Phoenix. We can't wait to be together as a family again!

Our little Pepper is 18 months old

I tried SOOOOO hard to get a cute picture of Lola after church on her first day going to nursery.  Every single picture had some sort of a blur in it...the little stinker was so excited and happy and just kept running around the kitchen like a little chicken.  It was pretty cute.  I resorted to a video, which turned out quite adorable.

 

And here she is the next morning.  If there is anything around that can be climbed, she's on it.  Subsequently, she has several bumps and red spots on her head. 

This stage of development has been a lot of fun to witness.  I want to start practicing homeschooling by having an educational activity planned every day.  Nothing big, just something to challenge her mind and encourage her creativity.  I would also like to find some sort of a play-thing for the backyard that would provide a good climbing set-up.  Lola naps and sleeps so well when she can run around like crazy, so anything to facilitate that would be great!

Yesterday we spent the evening with my brothers and their families.  My nephews and nieces adore Lola, and they keep her very active.  She slept like a champ last night!

We love this sweet girl.  I'm trying to intentionally slow down to really cherish this time in her life. :)

Lola at 16 months old

Here's the little beauty at 16 months.

Lola at 17 months

She's so cute...even when (okay, especially when) she is being sassy.

I can't believe she's 17 months old.  One more month and she can go into the nursery at church. I have mixed feelings about that. :-)  She may be a momma's girl. I'm definitely that girl's momma, and I can't get enough of her most of the time!

8 months and growing!

Lola is doing very well! She has recently figured out how to sit up on her own, scoots backwards and maneuvers any which way to get where she intends, and realized she has a voice. Sometimes she'll LOUDLY babble on for an hour straight. I think crawling will happen any day now. I've been giving her solid foods once in awhile, and she loves the new experiences. Today she sucked on a lime wedge and loved it! She didn't make a funny face at all! She had a great 1st Easter. We went to my Aunt Arlene's house and feasted with lots of family. Lola is so cute and so much fun. I do have my exhausted days where I'd love for anyone to take her off my hands for an hour. I'm sure all 1st time moms feel this way...motherhood is consuming! But so rewarding and great. What a humbling blessing. :)

Lola at 7 months...I had forgotten to publish this post!

Guess who can stay sitting up on her own now???

It's so amazing how a new skill manifests itself as "mastered" in just a day.  At least it seems to be so.  Lola has been sitting up with help from her boppy pillow for awhile, but kept falling over without any supplemental help.  On Saturday, it clicked, and she's been sitting like a pro ever since.  She has yet to get herself into the sitting position, though, so that's the next exciting milestone we're watching for.

Somewhat related to this news is today's historical even with Pope Francis being elected the new pope.  I'm LDS, and I don't know a whole lot about the Catholic church, but as far as the new pope is concerned, he seems like a really humble and down to earth kind of guy.  I like that. I have a great appreciation for good kind people!

6 months already!

I can't believe how fast time really flies when you have a baby! Lola has fallen in love with her feet and loves to suck on her big toes. She has been rolling over for awhile now, but earlier this week she figured out how to put those rolls together to travel quickly across the living room. ...I vacuum a LOT these days! Lola loves her daddy, watching (and occasionally man-handling) the kitties, her Baby Galileo Baby Einstein video, warm baths, giggling, and being around people. She loves mommy a lot too. :)

Meet Lola!

Our little girl arrived on August 3rd after 30 hours of labor...what an entrance! She weighed 7 lb 6.5 oz and was 20 inches long. At her 2 month checkup she weighed 10 lb 11 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. She's growing well and so quickly! She has been a delightful baby, and we feel so blessed and privileged to be her parents.