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One Year Old

One year ago, we were driving to the hospital in a horrible snow storm, anxious for your arrival, Linzie. One year later, I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. I am constantly amazed at how fast such a little being can change. There was a time you could barely keep your eyes open for 10 min. at a time and suddenly, it seems, you are eating macaroni and cheese and pushing a toy shopping cart around the living room.

Linzie, you have the funnest smile and most kissable cheeks. You love to be held and have become very cuddly. You love your yellow snuggy blanky and Binky. With those two good friends close, you are quite content. You are a fiercely independent little girl. You already insist on holding your own spoon although you can't quite feed yourself with it. It is fun to watch you hold a spoon in one hand and feed yourself with the other. You have the most amazing high pitched scream that we have ever heard. You use it when you are happy and when you can't have your own way. You love your sister and want to be wherever she is...even if it's in the bathroom. Yesterday, it even sounded like you were trying to say her name. You are a bit of a momma's girl, but you are always so excited to see dad and give him hugs and kisses when he comes home from work. You love food and will eat most everything, even though you only have two teeth right now. You are almost walking and, as of two weeks ago, have started crawling on your knees rather than army crawling. You are a total tease and have discovered how fun peek-a-boo is when you cover your own face and then uncover it when we say "boo". You also laugh hysterically when tickled.

Today, while Kenzie was with friends, we got to have little one-on-one time. It was such a sweet time for me. It was great to just play with you and hold and rock you. You laid on my shoulder and we rocked, just the two of us. I was able to tell you how much I love you and how glad I am that you were sent to our family. You have brought so much joy to our home. There was a time that I couldn't imagine how life would be with two kids, now I can't even remember how it was without you. Happy birthday, baby angel! We love you.

Our Little Joys

A quick update on the girls:

LiNziE (Lou Lou)

Linzie will be one in 3 weeks. I can't believe how fast this year has gone. She is such a funny girl. She loves to laugh and yell. We sometimes joke that she is a pterodactyl (SP?) because of her pierce screeching yell that she makes when she is happy. She also loves to tease. In church two weeks ago, she stood up to look over the bench and would look at our neighbor boys and then hurry and hide her head behind Jared's shoulder. She would peek out at them and then duck again. She did that for about 1/2 hour and loved every minute of teasing them. Linzie is not quite walking, but can move from one thing to the next with no problem, as long as her finger tips can reach. I think she will be walking any day. Linzie loves food. She will eat anything, and quite a bit of it, if she can feed it to herself. She has recently become very attached to a soft yellow blanket and has started to give hugs. She wasn't a very cuddly baby, but now when we pick her up, she instantly give us a big hug and will rest her head on our shoulder. We can't get enough of her hugs or her super sweet, cheesy smile.

Linzie still only has two teeth, but has learned how to open a container of Gerber puffs with her teeth. She really knows how to put them to good use. Linzie loves Kenzie and Jared. She can't get enough of either of them. Yesterday, she was in her seat at the bar when Jared go home. She heard his voice when he walked though the door and turned around and started to squeal until he came and gave her a hug and a kiss. She always wants to be where Kenzie is and Kenzie is great to let her tag along (we'll see how long that lasts!). Kenzie is also good to let me know when Linzie is doing something she shouldn't. Very great at this stage of life. :)

KeNzIe

Kenzie is growing up so fast. The other day she told someone she was 4. Really, she is 2 going on 4. She is such a loving girl. She insists on giving a kiss and a hug to everyone before she leaves them or before we go to bed. These pictures of her are pretty typical. In one, she is cradling Mary from our nativity set and in the other, she has her doll, Macey, zipped in her coat to keep her warm because Macey also needed to go outside.

We laugh every day at the fun things Kenzie says. She has an incredible sense of logic and is very observant. Like all kids, she is such a sponge. I sometimes just cringe as I hear me coming out of her mouth. She is regularly reminding Jared that he needs a coat before he goes outside. Right now she is in the "why" stage, which really makes you think about things. She wants to know "why" about EVERYTHING!

Kenzie has supersonic ears. She is always quite concerned about loud noises. She hates them! We have to be careful though, because she hears everything. There is no whispering around her. She hears when Jared opens the garage door in the mornings and will get up to watch him leave and then come running into me. Today she came in and told me, "it was calm in my room this morning. The wind wasn't blowing." Yes, the kid hears the wind and worries each night that it will blow. And darn it, we live in Spanish Fork, so most nights and mornings it blows. I was glad it was "calm" this morning, but don't really know where she learned to use that word. I have really got to do better at writing down her funny quotes, because daily there is something that makes us wonder if she really is just 2 1/2.

She loves to talk on the phone and does a pretty good job of carrying on a conversation. She can't get enough of reading books and has really started to have fun with Linzie now that Linz can get around. They like to get in the toy box and laundry basket together. Kenzie will get on her belly and army crawl with Linzie and try to race her. She is a great big sister.

If you ask Kenz what she wants for Christmas, she will say "a titchen" (kitchen). If you ask her what Linz wants, she will say, "Two girls want a titchen. Kenzie and Linzie want titchens." If you ask her what we should get for someone else, she will say a "titchen". That is the only thing she can think that anyone could possibly want! Her new favorite book is the Polar Express. She has a great sense of what is coming up, but everything that has happened in the past happened yesterday.

Merry Christmas!

Yes, somehow we are already at Christmas. Thanksgiving was a wonderful event with the Christensens, but I somehow failed to get my camera out, so no pictures to document the event. So, I guess we move on.

I am so excited for Christmas! As Kenzie runs out of her room every morning and turns on the Christmas tree lights (and then turns the timer just a little more and tells me she is "turning them down" so the lights "aren't bright in my eyes") and I get to turn on the Oakridge Boys Christmas tape (yes, a classic cassette tape from my childhood), I can't help but feel Christmas magic and cheer. I love the spirit of love and giving that abounds this time of year. I love the fun traditions and great food. I love the music and that I get to read "Polar Express" and the "Snowmen at Christmas" books a hundred times a day. I love the magic that kids bring to the holiday. I love that we have a Savior who came in such humble circumstances to save us all. I love Christmas.

To make this month extra special, we got to start it out with our niece, Mikayla's baptism. Again, failed to get any pictures, but it was so nice and we are so proud of Mikayla and the choice she made to be baptized. We are grateful for the good example she is to our girls. Kenzie had been talking about Mikayla's baptism for months before it happened. We're glad we could be there to share the day.

We also got to share a 10 year old birthday with our cousin's son Dylan at Pirate Island Pizza in Provo! Thanks for inviting us to your party, Dylan. We had a lot of fun.
When I was young, we would get together at my grandma's with my mom's sister and her daughters and dip chocolates. This year, my aunt moved back to Utah, so we revived the tradition and all got together at my mom's to dip A LOT of chocolates. We were sad that Grandma, Katee, Melanie, and Angie couldn't be there, but we had a lot of fun talking, laughing, and eating way too much good, homemade candy.
Yes, that is the finished product. The table, counter, and bar stools full of delightful chocolate dipped goodness!

We've also been to a great ward Christmas party...Christmas in Nauvoo. Very fun. Great job to Sister K on a fabulous party. And, of course, we've been to Spanish Fork's Festival of Lights. If you live anywhere near Spanish Fork, I highly recommend it. For $5 you get to sit your warm car, listening to Christmas music while you drive through a magical land of lights, including jumping frogs, skiing bears, castles, rocking horses, a nativity...pretty much anything you can imagine. A definite hit!

And, I have made it this far without going to a mall. I'm counting that as my big accomplishment this year. Thank you online shopping and free delivery! I have finished my fun projects for the girls--a chef hat and apron to accompany Kenzie's gift that Santa will bring her and a purse and fun hooded bath towel for Linzie. So, the hooded bath towel is my new favorite thing to make. Look out baby showers of 2010.

Last big event of our month so far...last Saturday, my brother came down to wire our basement. Yeah!!! My dad came to help and my sisters came with, so while the guys worked, the girls got to do a little shopping and make our favorite sugar cookies. Thanks everyone for your help! We still have a bit to do to finish the wiring, but it is so nice to have our basement project moving along!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone. We hope yours is filled with joy, love and peace!