Merry Christmas

lately

Lately...

... Afton has gotten so funny! She's a little tease and likes to hide things - including herself. She has the most infectious giggle and has developed a little maniacal laugh that is side-splittingly hilarious. She's the cutest girl, and everyday I'm not sure how there's any more room in my heart to love her more, but I do.

... Our chickens are almost full grown. And it's a good thing, too - have you bought eggs recently? We didn't time our flock switching very well this year, and for the first time in y.e.a.r.s I had to buy eggs at the grocery store, and whoo-eee, was I shocked at the price tag. No thank you. We should have fresh eggs again in a month or so!

... We've had so many celebrations. I think every other week for the past few months we've had some reason to celebrate and (maybe more importantly) make cake. Yum. Easter, Birthdays, Mother's Day, more Birthdays, Memorial Day, our Anniversary. So any great things to celebrate.

... We celebrated our 7th Anniversary. (Seven!) It's flown by. I'm so lucky. Brans is my perfect compliment. He's just the best. We celebrated with the most delicious crab dinner and the world's prettiest bouquet of roses gracing the table. It was low key, and accompanied by a delightful 17 month old waitress, who instead of serving our food, actually threw half of it on the floor and played the drums on the table with a spoon the whole night... And it was perfect.

... I've been in simplify mode - in every area of my life. I'm trying to simplify our house. Our routine. Our schedule. Our stuff (we have so. much. stuff.). I'm making progress, but it's quite the task.

... I've also been trying to be more present in the... present. Ha. I'm trying to remember and enjoy every moment of being a mom - the good and the bad. We're lucky and haven't had hardly any bad, and I'm soaking in every second with this adorable girl and handsome guy I get to call mine. I'm trying to become less attached to my electronic world, which is really a challenge. But I'm trying. These days, hours, minutes... They're passing way too fast for me to spend half of them playing Jelly Splash or flipping through a Facebook feed. So my online interactions and mobile attachments have started to become fewer and further between, and for now, it feels like the right move.

... Work is going well for Brans. He's really liking his full time gig at the Library, and they just had an awesome Grand Opening of the new Library. It's a beautiful building! Seriously, I could spend everyday there. It's gigantic and awesome and I'm so grateful he's doing something he really enjoys.

... I've just been really, really grateful. Grateful for such awesome family. Grateful for our little farm. Grateful for the gospel. Grateful for trials - even though they are so hard sometimes. Grateful for good friends. Grateful for life.

And life is good.

Easter

Easter has always been my favorite.
I love the Easter Bunny, the egg hunts, the baskets...
I love the food, the gatherings, the music...
I love the symbolism, the purpose, and the reason for it.

I love my Savior.
I am grateful for His atonement
His sacrifice for me.
I am so blessed to know that He lives.

Because He lives, my little family can be with me forever.
Because He lives, my life has purpose and meaning.
Because He lives, we can all be made whole.
Because He lives, we live.

Happy Easter.
May the joy of knowing that He lives bless your life like it has mine.

afton's one year

One Year.

My little baby girl is a year old!

If I hadn't actually lived it, I wouldn't believe it's really been a whole year.

And even though I did live it... I'm still not sure I believe it's true.

Crazy!

Afton is:

... so funny! She's started doing a fake laugh a lot lately, which cracks us up instantly. Then she figured out that she can laugh when we are laughing - so anytime we are talking and start laughing, Afton joins in with this adorable little giggly squeal. It's so delightful. She keeps us smiling and laughing all the time.

... seriously so smart. I know I say it all. the. time. But seriously. She's brilliant. She catches on to things so quick, and she seems to figure things out in only a fraction of the time or tries I think she should be able to. She is truly amazing. It is so fun to watch her little brain work. 

... sensitive lately. She doesn't like conflict, and she doesn't like when anyone rough-houses with her dad. On several occasions (and with several different brothers), Brans has started wrestling or something with one of our brothers, and Afton just goes crazy - screaming and crying like, Don't hurt my dad! I'm not sure where it came from. But she has such a sweet little heart and is protective of her family already.

... independent. She likes to do things herself. She won't eat from my fingers very often anymore. She either has to be feed from a fork, or pick up pieces of food by herself. She is also really good at entertaining herself. In the morning, she'll wake up and read books in her crib before I come in and get her out, and while I'm busy doing the dishes or something during the day, she's usually just content to play with her toys or read books or crawl around the house. She's so good!

... so patient. I've been really busy and had so much to do the last few months (being a wedding planner and caterer for Taylor's wedding and Chad's wedding) and through it all, Afton has just been perfect. She's handled the late nights and lots of errand running and cooking and baking and  everything with such patience and tolerance. It really has been amazing. And I am so grateful!

... a piranha. She is working on her 8th tooth! She's got a mouthful of sharp little chompers, and luckily, isn't too much of a biter. 

... obsessed with spicy food. (Must have been all the spicy things I ate during pregnancy, or something...) She loves it! The other day, I made some pretty spicy queso dip and we gave her just a teeny tiny taste of it, and she went crazy for it! She dipped carrots and bread and anything else she could find in it, and wouldn't eat anything else the rest of the night that didn't have queso on it. She's a girl after my own heart. She's still such a great eater - and she eats so. stinkin'. much. I'm jealous of her metabolism. She loves croissants and cheese, any fruit or vegetables, food that has lots of flavor, and sugar. This girl loves cake. She was in heaven eating wedding cake scraps!

... really good at putting her toys away. She loves to load up her wagon or basket with her toys. Then she'll pull out the ones she wants and play with them, but then will usually put them back away when she's done. Sometimes, if she doesn't, as soon as I say, Let's pick up your toys... Can you put them in your wagon? she'll immediately toss them all in. She's such a smart, obedient little angel. How did I get so lucky?

One year ago, this precious little gal was born. 

She is our pride and joy!

We are so blessed to be her parents and have her in our lives.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

We Love You!