The Happiest Place On Earth

We headed to Disneyland to help Jessi celebrate her 9th birthday! The weather was great, the crowd was small, the lines were short, and baby swap was super convenient!

Things we enjoyed: The Baby Center (genius), The Baby Swap System, The Parade, The Dark Chocolate Covered Marshmallows, The Rides Of Course, Listening To Our Podcasts And Learning Some Interesting Things About The Park, How Nice EVERYBODY That Works There Is, Letting Grandma Buy Everything :)

Things Amelia enjoyed: It's A Small World, Winnie The Pooh, Peter Pan, Roger Rabbit, Her Stuffed Minnie Mouse, Her Minnie Mouse Ears, The Carousal, The Parade.

Things she hated!: Pirates Of The Caribbean...yeah so I felt like the meanest mom ever...

9 months

This month has been so much fun and brought on such noticeable changes in you!

-We bought you a bigger car seat
-You have graduated from an "army crawl" to a "froggy crawl"
-You pull yourself up in your crib
-We lowered your crib
-You are absolutely CRAZY in the bathtub. The bathroom floor is drenched!
-You still wake up 1 to 2 times each night, I don't really mind though
-You give kisses to just about anyone
-You wave "Hi" and "Bye" almost on demand
-You love to rub your face all around in any type of blanket
-You try to be a part of music time at TumbleAmerica
-You make your way all around the house...living room, kitchen, bathroom...
-We fed you chicken, black beans, cooked egg yolk, pear and cooked avocado, you liked it all
-You are very into Mr.Tux (the cat)
-You FINALLY showed us that you CAN in fact, laugh at us! Music to our ears!
-You go from lying down to sitting up in 2 seconds flat

-You weigh 18 pounds 5 ounces

-You are 28 inches long

Your personality is sure starting to shine through! Just so you know, we adore it!

Wishon Lake Camping Trip

I may not think Fresno is very pretty (okay...I don't think it's at all pretty), but if you drive a few hours out of town, it's beautiful! We went camping with the Klatt's for a weekend trip. We had such a great time! Papa Rick rented a trailer for the girls, while the others roughed it in tents, and Nick in the truck bed. Amelia was completely mesmorized by the constant action, but the campfire was her favorite. Nick about lost his heart when he was woken up by a bear (raccoons) in the middle of the night. He could hear the panting and growling right above his head and was terrified. He slowly peeked out of his sleeping bag to see the furry little guys eating the dogs food. He thought his life was over before he realized it wasn't actually a big brown bear! We went fishing, hiking, swimming, and roasted s'mores, which was my favorite part. Camping buddies included: Rick, Lori, Kelsey, Pete, Sharmela, Jessi, Jerry, Jody and Ben. We are already looking forward to next year.

Some things about you...
You have stopped nursing.
You don't sleep through the night anymore.
You have two bottom teeth.
You try so hard to hard to sit yourself up from laying down, but can't.
You love swimming, and the bath.
You don't like it when I put lotion on you.
You actually keep yourself entertained for more than 7 minutes...yay!
We have started practicing somersaults (hehe).
You actually let me read to you a little bit now.
You will let me sing to you while falling asleep on my chest.
You lalaLOVE to be outside.
I put you in a baby swing at the park, you really liked it.

Your favorite toys are the remote control, toothbrush, stuffed anteater and the saucer.
You like baby food, but not peas, green beans, or plain fruit.
You love drinking from water bottles and sippy cups.
You only say one word "maaamamama".
I love it.
We love you.

While I was gathering up things to go swimming, you decided that it was nap time. I love how you sleep with one arm over your eyes. I also love your ruffle butt and rolly legs!

St. George

Since Dad has been away for the Summer, we decided to sneak in a visit with him again. You and I drove to Las Vegas (you slept the entire car ride) where we picked up Dad. We then went onto St. George where we stayed for the week. We were able to stay at Grandma Shirley's new house, watch the 24th of July parade, swim, indulge on snow cones, visit aunt's-cousin's-a few friends, and visit Grammy and Grandpa Brent. We also took a drive to Grandma Greats house in Panguitch. It was your first time visiting her house, and boy was she {tickled pink} to have you! (You also broke your first tooth while at her house.) A not so planned on event was being in town during our friend's heartbreaking loss of their sweet baby boy. Our appreciation for the gospel and our eternal family was strengthened, and our admiration for the Mother and Father was formed. The weather in Utah was ideal! Cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon and cloudy in the evening. We even had the enjoyment of a St. George rain storm. The best part of the vacation was just spending the week relaxing with Dad. Oh, and did I mention swimming!

My Dear Sweet Amelia Dawn,

How precious you are! How thankful I am for your sweet little self. Life with you is so unbelievable! I cannot imagine a more exuberant joy than spending my life in your amazing presence. I am so thankful for each breath you take, for each cry you let go, for each toss and turn in the night. Your beautiful smile melts my heart. Your innocent eyes bring tears to mine more than I would have guessed. I cannot imagine having spent my life without you. You have created such raw emotion within me, such love! I sometimes wonder why I am so lucky, what did I do to deserve the incredible experience of being a mother? I'm so thankful the three of us have been matched up for our life's journey. To know that I am your eternal mother is overwhelming, it overwhelms me with joy! I want to be an impossible mother for you, a perfect mother. I want you to always know the incredible impact you have on my life. I am so grateful for your health and strength! This past week, a close friend of ours lost their sweet infant after just 5 days on earth. Never before have I been more impressed with an eternal perspective. The Lord gives us eternity with our loved ones, what a glorious gift. The English language is sorely insufficient, there are no words to express the amount of love I have for you, no adjectives to describe how grateful I am to have you in my life. Your father is a truly amazing man. I could not have dreamed up a Father who loves you more. I am so grateful that I am able to be with the two of my loves for all of eternity.

Love,

Mommy

Oh {Photo} Shoot!

I really don't like big bows on you...but when you have a {gal in a tutu}, the big bow seemed appropriate.

Your changing so much

**Your {eyes} are not so blue anymore, they are looking green, with a little brown...maybe hazel.

**Your {hair} is getting longer and continues to lighten in color.

**When your upset you {say} "mommmmm" clear as can be. I know you don't really know what you're saying, but the sound of it is so sweet.

**You are {sitting} up like a champ!

I could just eat this girl!