An Afternoon at the Park

Today was such a gorgeous day in Rexburg! We just had to go out and take advantage of the sunshine and the fact that we didn't have to even wear a jacket! Sedona LOVES to go to the park and see all the other kids and swing on the swings.  Austin doesn't have class on Thursdays so we were able to get him to come with us. It was so much fun!

She may look just like her Daddy, but when it comes to LOVIN' the sunshine, she is deffinitly MINE! Here she is just soakin' up that sun!

Daddy really is the best "pusher" at the swings!

Kiwi Loco is just down the street from Porter Park. OF COURSE we had to finish our outing with a little frozen yogurt! It was an awesome day!

My Silly Girl

I LOVE these two! After a few days away from her Poppy, Sedona misses him something fierce.  She is such a Daddy's girl and I love it! 

One of her new tricks. I say, "how big's baby?!" She raises her hands above her head and we say, "So BIG!"  She loves it and will do it over and over.

This morning after she woke up from her nap, she was being so silly! 

I seriously cannot get enough of that sweet little face.  She brightens my every day and I LOVE every...er, uh....okay, MOST every moment at home with her.  I can't believe she is getting so big, but I really enjoy her fun personality and how much she is learning.  Being a mom is the best!

Prom

I would rather have been able to go watch Tessa compete in her State Basketball tournament. But, that didn't work out...  Last week, Austin had 3 big exams so that's why Sedona and I took off and went to WY.  It just happened to be Tessa's Jr. Prom last weekend. 

Tessa before:  beautiful but makeup-less and hair not quite as done as she would like it for a formal....whew that was a long description!

Livi did her hair, I did her makeup. 

Livi said, "When I do this I have so much fun and I think, 'I am in the wrong kind of school!'" She did a fantastic job and Tessa loved it!

The audience:

After: Taffy said, "wowza!"  I agree...

LOVE her dress!

Dad reading Colt's "application to date your daughter."  Uncle Chad said it would be a good idea for Tessa's prom date to fill this out and get it to Dad.  Dad agreed. So, Tessa gave it to Colt when she told him she would go to prom with him.  It was really cute and it got some good chuckles out of Dad.  The application was acceptable and Colt was granted permission to take our baby to the dance.

So cute.  Grandma Teichert said she looked "breath-taking" and he looked so "classic and handsome."

Tessa's best friend and cousin, Brigham Teichert.  To top off the night, Tess was crowned Prom Queen.  Congratulations, Tess!

COUSINS!!!

I cannot, for the life of me, find the pic I took of Sedona and her Micheli cousins this past Fall...I so wanted to put that pic on this post! I guess that's what I get for putting the hiatis on blogging for most of last year.  ):

Sedona LOVES playing with other kids, ESPECIALLY her cousins.  She is so happy to just play play play and I love watching her interactions with them.  This last week, we took a trip to Star Valley and then Cokeville to see family.  We had such a great time and I feel so blessed that we are close enough to them that we can just go when we want/need to! 

Kimball and his black-eye...when I asked him how it happened, this was the conversation:

"I bonked my head on the top of Tel's head."

"owweee, did that hurt?" (dumb question, I know)

"Yes! It hurted real bad!"

Tel chimes in..."No it didn't!"

Kimball replies: "Well not you! ME!"

Tami's youngest, Owen.  Seriously?! Look at that face. He is so adorable. I could kiss his cheeks all day and still not get enough of him.

Not the BEST picture of Tel, But I love it because it captures all his silliness! He is such a good little boy, trying to always do his "chores" and help whenever he can.  He said to me, "Violet, will you play with Owen for a little bit? That would be a BIG help to me."  Glad I can help you, Tel.

These 4 munchkins had a lot of fun together!

 Wednesday evening I got to go watch Tami play volleyball with her city league team.  It was so fun to watch her play. I wish I had taken a few pictures.  In the middle of her game I texted my Mom and Dad just to let them know that she's still "got it."  They weren't surprised.  

I also got to watch Tel at his pee-wee wrestling meet.  (Casey really is a very nice guy, I just caught him off guard ...thus the "if looks would strike you dead" look)  

Tel and Levi...his mom's cousin's little boy ( i know, i know...)

We had a lot of fun in SV and then got to head over to Cokeville to help Tessa get ready for her Junior Prom and to see Aunt Livi one last time before we move to Oklahoma City!

Emotions

I know you all have at least one child who is not a "cuddle bug."  I hoped so much that Sedona would be.  It started off easy to cuddle her. She had no choice.  And, she was too little to push away from me!  She was an infant that HAD to be swaddled, though, or she would not sleep.  As time has gone by and she has gotten older (and bigger) she has become exactly what I feared...INDEPENDENT and completely un-cuddly. (if that is even a word)  Not that independence is a bad thing, it will serve her well. And I quite enjoy that she is self-entertained and that she likes to do things by herself.  She is sassy and full of personality that totally reminds me of myself as a young kid. (maybe this isn't so good...)
Anyway, it has been quite a while since Sedona has wanted (or allowed) me to swaddle her.  It has been MONTHS since she last let me rock her to sleep and sing to her.  She is great about letting me give her a bottle and then placing her in her crib, shutting the door, and then going to sleep on her own.  I know, every mother's dream, right?! And I should be dancing in circles with gratitude that she is so. dang. easy.  Not so...not for me, anyway.
She is my only baby. For now. Maybe forever.  I HAVE the time to cuddle and sing and rock her to sleep!
Well, today, for some reason, she didn't follow her normal routine.  I did exactly what we have been doing for the last several months (even when she was sick) and ten minutes went by and she was not sleeping.  Fifteen. Twenty. Still upset.  I went into her room and picked her up. She snuggled right into me.   "Wow. Okay, I'll take that!"  I sat in the practically unused rocking chair and began to rock her.  She squirmed and pointed for the door.  "Well, that was short-lived," I thought.  But no, she needs to take her nap.  So, I held her tighter and she fought it, but only for a second.  As she relaxed I started to sing to her.  "I Am A Child Of God."  Her favorite song since she was an infant.  She relaxed and put her hand on my face.  Heaven. This must be what Heaven is like.
Within the time it took me to sing 3 Primary songs, Sedona was fast asleep. In my arms. I didn't want to let her go.  My baby is getting so big. So...grown-up.  I was filled with emotions.  Lots of happiness and gratitude for this beautiful blessing in my arms, and a tinge of sadness because it is all happening so fast.
Mommys...remember the tender moments.  FEEL the emotion of the moment. Record it, somewhere.  They are such a blessing in our lives.  I hope you all have a great day doing and being what we were meant to do and be!

Lately....

....Sedona has an obsession with this particular picture. It's her Grannie and Grandpa Teichert.  She loves ALL pictures of people she recognizes, but she HAS to carry this one around every morning.

She has an obsession with stuffed animals.  It started over a month ago when she had strep-throat.  I thought she'd be over it in a week or two but she's still going strong!

Sedona LOVES her Gerber Cheetos...

She had a nice long visit at her Mimi and Jojo's house...

She wrestles with this guy every morning. She can't seem to get enough of this sheep chair her Aunt Sadie gave her for her birthday. Her favorite thing to do is give him kisses and poke his eyes...

She LOVES to empty things! Especially her wet-wipes and...

...Mommy or Daddy's wallet. She has pennies in her little paws.

We are trying to get her to take her first steps...

And she LOVES to watch the Ellen show with me every day at 4.  She loves the beginning where Ellen dances because I will dance with her all around the living room.  She squeals with delight and is now quite the dancer herself.  Whenever music comes on in the house, the car, the store...she starts to MOVE! While this picture is NOT the best of me, it captures her joy for sure!

Sedona Turned 1!!!

Warning!!!! MAJOR picture overload...

February 10, 2011...Sedona turned 1!  We celebrated by going to a frozen-yogurt place here in Rexburg, called Kiwi Loco.  She LOVES Kiwi Loco and I can get her sugar-free yogurt and not have to deal with a baby on a sugar-high! Isn't she adorable?! Explanation of the red "owie" on her top lip...she had a fight with the lenolium and the lenolium won.

I wanted to throw a birthday party for Sedona and have some family and friends come...it was meant to be low-key and laid-back.  But, even with all my preparations in advance (making goodies and putting them in the freezer, making LISTS, and inviting people weeks in advance) it still turned out a little over-the-top for a first birthday (in my opinion, anyway).  However, it was really nice to have so many friends and family there. It was worth all the work.  My parents and my sisters Tessa and Tami and Tami's three boys were there.  Austin's parents and his two sisters Sadie and Markie, and a whole slew of friends.  It was great fun!

These ice-cream-cone cupcakes were so fun to make and they turned out so pretty thanks to Mariam (my Mother-in-law) and friend Kelly.  They made the frosting for me and frosted them while I was running around setting things up.  What life-savers!! Or should I say just party-savers?

Sedona LOVED them!

The goody table.  I LOVE how it turned out. 

I didn't get any pics of her opening her presents because I was, well, opening them for her.  She doesn't quite get it yet.  It really was such a fun celebration and I feel so blessed to be this little sweetie's mom.  She is so much fun and I am looking forward to many more fun birthdays with her!

(wish I had a big group pic...lesson learned for next year, I suppose.)

Months 6-12...WAAAAYYYYY overdue

Month 7: Still so "baby-ish"

Month 8: She just steals my heart! 

Month 9: Still NOT crawling...but cute as ever!

Month 10: Nope...still not crawling. This was the day before her first haircut.

Month 11: I just Love her hair in this pic! Not the best pic of her, but I do like her hair :)

12 MONTHS OLD!! We celebrated her birthday with Daddy, Mommy, and Markie at Kiwi Loco.  It was so fun to have the four of us together since it was just us four the day she was born. What a great first year!!