Grateful...

I know it's been quite a while since I posted last, and I have some catching up to do; but I wanted to write this morning because my heart is so full. I'm incredibly grateful for two healthy, happy, active children. Liam is already showing off a bit of his personality, before he's even here. It seems like he's constantly moving, and he responds so well to stimuli. I love feeling his movements, it's one of the more precious experiences of pregnancy.

Since we're leaving town for christmas, Sean and I decided to do an early celebration for our family; and open our stockings and presents to each other early. Some number of months ago, Tara and I were reading one of her books. I was helping her correctly pronounce the words soccer ball. When she finally mastered it, a lightbulb went on; and she was SO proud of herself for saying it correctly. She started saying "Mommy! Watch this!" I'd look over at her, and she'd carefully say "So-ccer ball. Yay Tara!!!" She'd get a huge grin on her face :) This then developed into a quick understanding of the concept of what a soccer ball is, and what you do with one. She started taking those regular rubber balls that she has, and pretending they were soccer balls; kicking them around. So it was apparent to us, that we had to get her a soccer ball. She opened it last night, and immediately started kicking it around; and she was so controlled with her kicks>there was no doubt in our minds that we had to get this girl into soccer practice when she's older! She looked like she'd been playing for a long time! I'm just so grateful for how active Tara is, with her imagination and with her body.

I'm grateful for my family, I'm so blessed to have such amazing kids; and the sweetest man on the face of the planet as my husband. He always impressed me with his love for our Savior, and for our Father in Heaven. He's always been such a great example of how we should be living our lives; and his desires are so pure. I love him with all my heart, and words can not express how much he touches my heart on a daily basis. I'm thankful for the sweet little family we've created together, and can't wait to meet this little boy...I hope everyone has a great holiday season, and can remember and be touched by our Savior's birth; and what it means for us. I pray everyone can spend lots of time with family, and we'll see you all when we get back!

"I Cranky"

So I think that Tara is under the impression that the word "cranky" means tired. Not ill-tempered, or cross; just tired. Here's what led me to that belief: We were in her room tonight, about to start the bedtime routine. She was in her jammies, and sitting on Sean's lap. We hadn't even read scriptures yet, or prayed; when she said "Mommy? I wanna go to bed." So as I picked her up to lay her in her bed, she said "I cranky." She then layed her head on my shoulder, and closed her eyes, and snuggled in. She hadn't been cranky at ALL tonight, just sweet, and adorable, and fun to be around. So it made Sean and I laugh when she said that, because she obviously just meant that she was super tired. Because she was so drowsy, we decided to just have family prayer while she was all cozied up in bed. Seconds after the prayer started, she was a goner! What a funny girl...

Let's Talk Turkey...

We had such a fantastic Thanksgiving this year! It was special, because it was our very first time making our own thanksgiving dinner; and it turned out great! We were going to have our good friend Rachel and her kiddos over to join us, but unfortunately they all ended up being too sick to come. So it was the three of us, and we had a blast! Sean and Tara watched part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Tara loved it :) She got really excited about the floats, and the songs, and the dancing. Then later in the day, the house filled with the smell of turkey...Mmm. About a week ago, Sean was expressing to me how excited he was to finally be able to cook us a thanksgiving dinner; and he did an amazing job! It was such a sensory experience...when Sean pulled the turkey out of the oven, and popped the rolls in; the house filled with the incredible aroma of home made dinner rolls. Then when they were done, and and put the yams in to cook; the house smelled like sugar cookies for some reason! I think it was the marshmallows...hehe. But we ended up making the turkey, and ALL the fixings! I made a couple of favorite dishes, Sean did the bulk of the cooking though-and all credit must go to him :) He did the turkey, potatoes, stuffing, yams, gravy, potatoes, rolls, etc. I informed him that he's in charge of doing the turkey every year, and that his candied yams were the best I'd ever had (he threw in a secret ingredient that I never would have though of-it makes all the difference!) But we thoroughly enjoyed the day as a family, and had so much fun with each other. Seeing Tara enjoy it all was so rewarding. We ended up eating a bit later than we had planned, so by the time we were ready to eat, Tara was famished! We set the basket of rolls on the table, and went into the kitchen to get the rest of the food, and by the time we walked back in; Tara was already halfway through devouring a homemade roll :) And she apparently LOVES cranberry sauce! We served her some, and before we could pray, she had reached over and served herself another big spoonful! Then during the prayer, I saw her sneak yet another heaping spoonful of it, and I heard her say "Mmm!" lol What a funny girl...So all in all, it was a wonderful thanksgiving; and we're already looking forward to next year-and anticipating how things will go with Tara being three and a half, and our new baby being a whopping 8 months old at that point! But I believe we'll be making the parade a family tradition :)

True love...

Haha Just a few minutes ago, before Sean left for work; Sean set Tara up in the recliner with her humongous teddy bear, and a pillow and blanket. He glanced over at one point, and saw her giving her teddy bear a huge kiss. It was so cute! Sean laughed, and walked up to her jokingly saying "Tara! Don't kiss boys...." She looks up at him and says "No." As he walked away, I heard Sean mutter "But daddy-I love him!" Ohh....What a morning :)

I think her cow is pregnant...

So Tara just came up to me a minute ago with her stuffed cow, and said "Mommy! Her tummy is kicking!" I started laughing, and said "Oh yeah?" Then I heard her say "Oh no-she needs to go potty again...Where's a potty?!?"


Hmm...

Do you think she's been paying too much attention to what's been going on with mommy?

Goin to the moon...

So cute! An example of how trusting a two year old is of their parents. Sean and Tara just left to take a short walk, burn off the last of her energy. As they were headed out the door, Tara was saying "Bye Mommy! Love you! See you soon!" Sean turns to her and says "Do you want to go to the moon?" She responds with "Okay." In her world, it's totally possible. They were going on a short little walk to the moon...

"I did share!"

So for the last couple months, Tara's been so proud of herself whenever she shares something. If she hands you one of her toys, or colored pencils, or a book...she'll cock her head to the left or right, get a big grin on her face, and say "I did share!" And she says it in the sweetest little voice...it's the most precious thing ever :)

She's also very aware of when other people share, and loves to point it out. So these last few weeks if I do anything from hand her an apple slice, to giving her the book she asked for; she'll cock her head and say "You shared!" Oh my gosh how sweet is she???

Sean and I can't help but have our hearts just melt when we hear that!

YAAAAAY TARA!!!!!

So for months and months now, we've been working on Tara learning her alphabet, numbers, shapes, etc. She's got it down pretty well for the most part. A lot of her favorite activities include counting EVERYthing in sight, telling us what color everything is, and what shape they are. It's so fun :) For her 2nd birthday, we even bought her the Vtech Alphabet Apple, and it's one of her favorite toys. It's helped her learn the alphabet at an even faster rate. I just thought we had a ways to go until the point when she could stand there and recite the entire alphabet.

Yesterday-she (once again) took me by surprise. Sean was due home from work any moment, and Tara was playing with her toys in the livingroom. All of a sudden, I look up at her because I hear her saying "L, M, N, O, P..." I think I may have stopped breathing for a moment or two while she said that! She continued "Q, R, S, T..." At this point I screamed in delight-so excited that I was hearing this :) She had this humongous grin on her face as she went on "U, W, X, Y, and Z! I did it!!! Where's my apple?!?" I started clapping, and telling her how proud I was of her. It was so cute! I thought is was hilarious how when she was done she immediately wanted her Alphabet Apple...hehe. I was SO proud of her! I also thought it was adorable how she skipped "V", and the first part of the alphabet-but we'll get there.

My baby's learning so much!

Hahaha! Tara always makes me laugh so hard...

So a few minutes ago, I was craving a fresh tomato; so I sliced one up, drizzled a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil on the slices, and a tiny bit of salt. Tara and I enjoyed every last bite. When they were gone, I said to her "That was delicious!" (A new word we've been trying to teach her the meaning of). She went to exclaim something, and started to say "That was..." and then she saw the empty plate, and said "Gone!" I busted up laughing...

Such a sweet surprise!

So on sunday mornings I'm usually the first one up. I grab breakfast, shower, and then get the rest of the family going. Yesterday when I walked into the bathroom, I came upon such a SWEET surprise...











The day before, amongst our saturday activities; we made a stop at the store to pick up some items we needed. Tara was asleep in the carseat, so I stayed in the car with her while Sean ran into the store. When he came back, he was showing me how amongst everything, he came across a couple of items he couldn't resist getting for Tara. One was a little toy pony, that he thought she'd love; since she adores her My Little Pony collection. Another was this little mini Disney chalkboard, and chalk. He thought she'd have a blast drawing on it, and maybe practicing her alphabet. Sunday morning though-I discovered that Sean had written a sweet note on it for me the night before, for me to find in the morning. What a guy...It just warmed my heart :)

Don't forget the baby!

Yesterday afternoon, Tara and I were leaving the house to walk to the park. We had a conversation that just made me smile :)

Tara: "Mommy! Where's the baby?"

Me: "Don't worry honey, the baby's still in mommy's tummy."

Tara: "Okay. Let's go!"

She's going to be a great big sister, if while still pregnant; she's reminding me not to forget the baby!

Is she THAT old already???

So last night, Tara and I were food shopping with Rachel and her kiddos. Mason was in Rachel's cart, and Tara was in mine (after sitting with Rachel for most of the trip). Tara asks me all of a sudden "Where's Mason?" They were right behind us, so I stepped out of the way so she could see her friend. Then I hear my daughter say "Ooh...he's cute!" Rachel and I cracked up, and it was certainly a glimpse of things to come :) Oh boy...am I ready? haha

Blackberries Anyone?

So over the last few weeks, we've gathered a good amount of fresh blackberries off some local bushes; and it's been worth all the scratches you get! We once again joined up with Rachel and her kidlettes, and had a blast spending time together picking blackberries. Tara (understandably) didn't enjoy picking blackberries as much as picking blueberries; but can you blame the girl? I myself got beat up pretty good by my fair share of thorny branches slamming into my legs, arms, face. Fun stuff...But when you leave with a 10 quart bucket filled to the brim? I started smelling the blackberry cobbler before we even left the field! Although-Tara and Olivia were so darling as they sat together by our feet, just waiting for us moms to either say we were finished picking and could go home, or to dump another handful of berries into their hot little hands for the eating. I couldn't get over how cute it was to see Tara's little face and hands COVERED in blackberry juice, huge smile on her face, asking me "Mommy! More berries?" The memories will last forever...So we've made blackberry syrup, blackberry cobbler, had blackberries with vanilla yogurt for breakfasts, and eaten handful after juicy handful of berries freshly picked. We're hoping to go back for a third trip soon, before the season's over. Next up-strawberry season!

"All done. Let's eat!"

So today, I took a nap when Tara did; because I was too exhausted to function. This whole growing a baby thing was getting the better of me...So she ended up napping for a good 2 and 1/2 hours, which meant-so did it :) When she woke up, she came into our room, and said she was ready for lunch. I told her that I'd get her lunch if she put her books back on the bookshelf. Before her nap, she had taken about every book she owned and strewn them all over the floor in the livingroom and hallway. So when I told her she had to put them back on the bookshelf before lunch, she got upset. She knows the rules though, that we clean up before any mealtime, and she knew she wouldn't get lunch until they were put away. So after whining for a couple minutes, she got to work. I ended up slipping back to sleep for a period of 3 minutes, after which she comes in to tell me she was done. You can see the bookshelf in the hallway from our open bedroom door, and I still saw books strewn all over the floor in the hallway. I told her she needed to put ALL the books away before I made lunch. She whined a bit more, then got to work. I looked at the clock, and fell back asleep for another 4 minutes. I woke up to her saying "All done-let's eat!" I got up and inspected the hallway and livingroom, and all the books were put away on the bookshelf this time. I was so proud of her! I thought it was so cute the way she said "All done-let's eat!" What a big girl...

"Dress?"

So last night Tara sure shocked us again into realizing that she is growing up, whether we're ready or not. I had been in the kitchen making blackberry syrup out of some of the fresh blackberries we had picked as a family. Tara and Sean were in the livingroom playing. I was focusing on what I was doing, but also recognized that for the past couple of minutes I'd heard her saying "Dress?" "Dress?" Then Sean says to me "Honey-she keeps asking for a dress! What should I do?" I said "Get her a dress, I suppose.." It was just minutes away from her bedtime, but I didn't see why I couldn't let her play dress up real quick while I finished the syrup. So I go into her closet, and retrieved one of her dresses. I walked into the livingroom and handed Tara the dress, and she said "Thank you!" Our bedroom isn't far from the livingroom, and she promptly walked over to our bedroom, opened the door, and walked in. She then turned around and said "I get dressed" and then shut the door! We started laughing at how cute she was. She opened the door a couple moments later, and said "Mommy help!" She was struggling with removing her shirt, and was a bit distraught. I motioned for her to come into the kitchen so I could help her-and she looked at me like I was crazy. She emphatically said "No...Daddy will see!" She was shy, and wanted her privacy! She'd never cared before! It was so darling, and it was so hard for Sean and I to stifle the laughter...I walked into our bedroom, and she ended up needing help turning on the light in the bedroom since she can't reach, and she also needed help removing her shirt. So after I turned on the light, and got her shirt off, I asked her if she wanted help getting the dress on; and she said "No. I got it." So I left. She came out a couple minutes later, and she had put the dress on...just not all the way. The sleeves to the dress were rolled under into the top of the dress, and because of that the dress wasn't hanging correctly on her body. Due to this all, she walked out looking like she was wearing a strapless dress, that only hit mid-thigh. But boy-she was SO incredibly proud of herself for doing it all by herself! We told her "Good job Tara!" She was so cute!!!


*sigh*


When did she grow up?

"Hello? I'm okay..."

So Tara loves to pretend she's talking on the phone, and she'll often repeat things she's heard us say while on the phone. Lately, she'll take a random toy, whether it's a block or a lego; and it will become her telephone. Here's her conversation lately...



Tara: "Hello? I'm okay. Uh huh. Okay. See you soon. Bye!"


What a goof!

As a matter of fact...

So Tara is always surprising me with the things she says, and the words and concepts she picks up on. Earlier this evening she was playing with Emily (her favorite baby doll) and also drinking her cup of apple juice. At one point, she decided to pour some of the apple juice on Emily. It's one of those dolls where the head, arms, and legs are made of plastic, but the torso is a cloth outfit. She got it all over the fabric, and I knew I'd have to wash it. So I scooped up Emily, and Tara got upset that I was taking her baby away from her. I told her that I had to wash Emily, and get all the apple juice out, so she could play with her again. Tara just stared at me for a moment with this blank look on her face. Then she said so matter-of factly "Just wipe it." I laughed SO hard when she said that!!! The fact that just taking a baby wipe to her would do the trick...her rationale is so cute sometimes ;)

First baseball game as a family!

So last night we saw our first Ems game together-and we had a blast. Sean had been dying to take her to a baseball game for some time, and he was SO happy to finally be able to do it. He had called me earlier that week from work to tell me that his boss had given him two tickets to the ems game that following saturday, and kids under 3 (I think) are free. So we went, and had a great time. We had awesome seats, the ems won, and Tara lasted through 5 innings before getting wiggly. A woman at the entrance had given her a balloon that she had attached to the gate, and Tara didn't let go of it the whole time! Tara really got into it, clapping and yelling when everyone else did; screaming "Yay!" every so often...it was so cute! And it was SO nice to see how happy Sean was, finally having brought his little girl to a baseball game; a small dream come true. Minor league or not, it was a ton of fun for our family. And a plus for prego here? There was a heavenly cool breeze blowing the whole time, so despite hormone-induced body heat; I was feelin great! Here are some of the pictures we took...






There she is with her balloon, holding on for dear life :)



We've got one happy daddy...



Haha She got a little sleepy towards the end of the 5th inning.



There she is munching on snacks and watching the game-just like everyone else! lol



The mascot was hilarious! Most of the stunts he pulled had me laughing so hard I almost cried!



Aww....daddy-daughter bonding moment :)







She crashed on the way home-clutching her balloon...

Birthday...

So my birthday was on the 23rd of August, and I got to start my day with the cutest little girl in the world asking to sit and watch "Cat in the Hat" with all and I mean ALL her stuffed animals and babies sitting with her. Sean and I got a kick out of it. What a fun way to start the day. It was a good day though, for the most part. Glad I got to share it with Rachel and the kids, Rachel and I are birthday buddies-only 12 hours apart. Her birthday's the 24th, but we celebrated together this year ;) In the couple weeks leading up to my birthday, Sean bought me a beautiful plant for our patio, and a book he knew I'd love; amongst some other things. What a sweet guy...He made it more of a birthday month for me :) Gotta keep him around...

Yummy Food

So we've been enjoying all the foods of summer. Lots and I mean LOTS of fresh corn on the cob (see exhibit A). Tons of fresh berries, hand-picked mind you...(see exhibit B). Tara loves it when I toss a handful of blueberries or blackberries on her cereal in the morning. She knows they're the ones that we picked together :) More watermelon than I care to mention-a disgusting amount of watermelon has ended up in our tummies this summer. And the list goes on...We love fresh whole foods, readily available this time of year. Hope you guys are enjoying the season too!



EXHIBIT A




EXHIBIT B

Lane County Fair!

So since we got married, Sean and I haven't been able to go to the fair each year. This year we finally made it, and it was Tara's first fair experience. She loved it! We went with Rachel, Olivia, and Mason-and we all had a blast. We looked at some of the exhibits, we looked at the animals, the kids all went on a few rides; and we ate yummy fair food. I was a little bummed, because I've always gone for the rides & the food. I've never been one for the exhibits, seen the animals already, let's hit the rides! I couldn't go on even one, because "No expectant mothers allowed." Bummer? Kind of-but I'm getting a really cute baby out of the deal :) So next year...Plus this year was so special because when the whole experience is centered around your child, and making sure they have a special experience-it's a whole other world at the fair. When you look at every sight, sound, and smell through a toddlers eyes-it's like seeing everything for the first time. So taking her was such a special experience, and I got a bit teary with her first fair ride ever. And the second, and the third...it was all so new! And fun. Okay, enough blabbering-bring on the photos, right? Okay:






I absolutely LOVE the look on her face!!!




They had these areas set aside for the little kids to play in, and one of Tara's favorites was where the whole area was set on a floor completely made up of corn kernels. Tara loved scooping them into the bucket, and pouring them back out. She did this over and over for minutes on end, huge smile each time :)







She got to see a real live rooster crow! So far they've only been in books. How exciting!















































First they went on the boat ride. They had a great time, and the joy on Tara's face was unmistakable! She couldn't contain her excitement!!!



"Mom, Dad! This is so fun!!!"



For heaven's sake-would you look at that expression? Priceless!




Next they went on a car ride-and they were in control of it this time ;)



Tara and Mason







Look at that grin on her face!



Next they went on the New York Fire Brigade. How fun! She loved it-and she never got scared!








Look at that! I was nervous for her-unnecessarily it turns out :)







Daddy greeting her at the end of the ride :)



She got to eat cotton candy for the first time!



Later that night, once we got home-she crashed hard once she actually crawled in bed! She was hyped up for a while afterwards though, and was telling us all about what she saw and did, even once we got home :) It was so cute...




So it was a great experience-can't wait till next year!

Blueberry Season!

So I love summer for so many reasons, and one of the main ones being the fact that so many yummy berries become available for the picking-and there's nothing like eating a handful of freshly picked blueberries. Tara and I have spent the last two days at Adkins farm, picking blueberries. Lots of loooong hours in the hot sun, plenty of branches in our hair, dirt on our clothes-and so worth it! It's a special high, being on your hands and knees, crawling underneath a bush and discovering a TON of big fresh blueberries....so fun :) And it was a blast because we went with my good friend Rachel, and her little ones. We had so much fun, Rachel at one end of a row of blueberry bushes, me on the other end, and the kids darting from me to Rachel and back; and then winding in and out of the rows, cutting through bushes, eating tons of handfuls of berries, smiles on their faces...That's the life :) And of course, at times the sun would be a little too much, and the kids would be kids... "She took my toy" "he took my book" "I hafta go potty NOW", but overall we had an amazing time. And Tara's become quite the blueberry picking pro! She was so cute, just listening to her this afternoon as she was helping me fill the bucket. "Just blue ones" and she'd drop a couple in the bucket. "Oh, nope-that one's green, nope." And watching the kids feed each other blueberries-so precious! This morning~


Tara (as she popped a blueberry in Mason's mouth):"Here you go!"

Mason: "Thank you."

Tara: "You're welcome."

Tara: "Mommy-let's go pick more!"


Between yesterday afternoon, and going back today-Tara and I picked about 5 lbs worth of blueberries! And the amazing part-were the prices. Yesterday, it was $1.00 per pound. Today, it was FREE BLUEBERRIES ALL DAY! Amazing.


Sorry I don't have any photos yet-hopefully I'll be able to get them posted soon :)

Such Cuteness!

So I just have to post an update about how much our little girl is changing...She's been acting older lately in the things she says, the things she understands, it blows our minds. For example-usually when she starts telling a story about something, and I say "Oh yeah?" she'll just smile and go back to playing. However, these last few day-it's a bit different. A few days ago Tara started telling me a story about her baby doll Emily. Apparently Emily was doing all sorts of exciting things, and Tara was telling me all about it. She was SO animated while telling me what Emily was doing, and I said "Oh really?!?" And she looked up at me with a huge grin on her face and said "YEAH!" and went back to her story, telling me even more about Emily's escapades. I was beside myself with laughter...She was too much :)

Then last night while Sean was making dinner, Tara and I were reading one of the new books we just got for her. It's all about wild animals, and the sounds they make. Now, for a little backstory, I must regress for a moment:

Whenever a certain word has a song associated with it, Tara will start bopping her head up and down, and look at me expectantly like "Come on mom-sing the song!" For example, if Tara hears the word "star" she wants me to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". If she hears the word "sun" she wants me to sing "Oh Mr. Sun", and so on.

So back to last night: we got to a picture of a giraffe, and she starts bopping up and down, and looks at me expectantly. I laughed and said to her "Honey, mommy doesn't know any songs about giraffes". So without missing a beat, she starts singing in a melodic tone "Girrraaaafffe...., Girrraaaaaafffeee" and then looks at me with a big smile, as if saying "How could you not know the giraffe song, mom?" lol It was hilarious!


Such a sweetheart, that Tara. And apparently, so much more I have to learn :)

Floating Soccer Field

I came across this video this morning, and thought it was incredibly inspirational. I hope you all enjoy it, and take something away from it :)

Saturday Fun

So Tara loves trains. She calls fire trucks "train!" A few weeks ago we had a chance to spend some time at a local fire station. I thought it was a great opportunity for her to see how things go when they get a call, and start up the trucks and leave. She heard the message come through, she heard the alarm, and she got to see two fire trucks peel out of the station. As they left-she was saying "Bye Train!!!" So...needless to say, I wanted to take her to the train station to see what a real live train looks like! So this last saturday, we took her down to see a train. She loved it! And mommy loved it too...[Ever since I was little, up until now; I get a thrill from seeing a train!] lol So it was fun for all :) Here are some photos~










Waiting for the train to arrive...















We were all captivated by the train as it pulled into the station :)







The train station is also a special place for Sean and I, because it's where we met in person for the first time. He and I had met online, an LDS website; and a few months after meeting online, he hopped a train to Eugene to meet me in person. So we have very special memories of that first hug, first kiss, first time we got to hold hands, look in each others eyes...Kinda sappy when we go back to the train station. So we got to explain to Tara why it's such a special place to us :)


After we took her to see the trains, we had lunch; and headed off for a local park to play. We were trying to teach her how to roll down a hill, but she never took to it. She preferred to run at breakneck speed right into daddy's arms! It was such beautiful weather, we couldn't have asked for better. Here are some photos from playing on the hill~



See her pigtails flying behind her? She was bolting down that hill as I took the photo!



Peek-a-boo!



There go those pigtails again!







"I'm having SO MUCH FUN guys!"