Elisabeth is 6 months old today!!!!!

Can you believe it??  Fastest 6 months of my life.  Half a year already!  I don't know if you can tell from the picture above but her eyes are becoming a beautiful sea-green.  So lovely.  Things are the best they have ever been and I was telling my coworker that I feel like I was only half the person before Elisabeth came along that I am today.  She has added such depth and new meaning into both of our lives.  We love it!

So here's what's new with her at 6 months:

• She loves sitting up.
• She sleeps on her tummy all the time now no matter if I put her to sleep on her back and when I come in to see her her cute little bum is in the air.  So precious!
• She can stand for a short time if I hold her up and she can kind of hold herself up if she holds on to a chair but not for long.
• She has been eating cereal now for a few days and took to it very very well.  I'm going to introduce real baby food tomorrow.
• She is finally on a real schedule and I love it plus she takes longer naps!  One hour in the morning, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon and then a short catnap before the end of the day.
• She smiles all the time now and squeals too and always smiles back when you smile at her and is a happy little girl.
• She still shuts down when she goes out although she will smile at strangers if she's not sleepy. 
• Everyone adores her and comments on how big and beautiful it is.
• She has the loveliest rolls all over.
• She laughs a little bit more now but especially if I do anything unexpected like throw her up in the air or toss my wet hair up and down.
• She hardly ever cries unless she is sleepy and she never cries when I put her down to bed in fact she does the cutest thing.  She gets kind of cranky right before I put her to sleep but the minute I put her in her crib she smiles again, pumps her legs up and down and babbles happily for a few minutes and then rolls right off to bed.  She loves to be put in her crib!  Amazing huh?
• She stays awake for longer periods of time.
• She is the apple of our eye and we love her soooooo much!

This last month with Elisabeth has been such a treat.  Paul and I never have "one-kid days" anymore and we just adore our sweetie pants.

Elisabeth cheers for BYU

Here is a fun video of our lil pumpkin I took this morning having her morning squeals. 

We had a lovely day today, the three of us.  We all went down to the farmer's market and partook of yummy, but expensive food and introduced Elisabeth to something totally new.  I felt all hippied out with her tucked into our Ergo Baby carrier and carrying my hippy Guatemalan bag.  It was lovely morning.  Paul, baby and me!

We completed the Book of Mormon 30-Day Challenge

I need to write about this before I forget how wonderful it was but Paul and I (and our whole Sugarhouse ward) were challenged to read the Book of Mormon in 30 days during the month of August.  We were given a whole 5th Sunday lesson about it and a wonderful woman in our ward, Brooklyn, testified of the changes it brought in her life.  We were really moved by it and both of us committed to do it.  I even put it out on Facebook and asked friends to participate and my friend Meagan Gilmore and my cousin Jemmy did it along with me and Paul.  We were given an allotted number of pages to read each day and a check-off list which I stuck on our fridge.  I must admit that the list did appeal to my OCD self.  Nothing better than checking stuff off of a list and feeling that sense of accomplishment, especially about something so worthy as the scriptures. 

We read about 18 pages a night and it was just a magical feeling some nights going to sleep feeling the Spirit so strongly as I read Nephi or Alma's testimonies and especially the words of Christ.  It honestly wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I usually split up the reading into a morning part and an evening part.  It was nice to see Paul reading it too.  He gave me good moral support and the Spirit in our home was definitely there.  I learned two big things from it.  One was that I gained a great respect for the editor of the book - Mormon.  I had never really fully grapsed that he was the true editor and narrator of his book because I had never read it quickly enough to fully feel his "voice" throughout but I did this time and I just really respect this great man who was called of God at such a young age and who obey so well.  The second thing I understood better was that the Book of Mormon is truly a book of testimony after testimony which I felt so strongly this time.

This is a very short summary of what I learned.  I actually had to give a whole talk about it last week and really felt good about my talk.  I am usually incredibly nervous about talking (even though I really try not to show it) and I usually write out my whole talk and then memorize it.  This time, I wrote my talk as usual but I only glanced down every once in a while to quote scripture and it felt so natural and great and Paul said it was the best talk I ever gave.  I think it's because I was really able to speak from my heart and share what I felt about the Book of Mormon, a true testament of Christ.  I love that book and I know its pages must be sprinkled with fairy dust or something even better because my life always sorts itself out when I read it faithfully.  I have begun reading it again but this time highlighting every time it speaks of Christ.  I'm liking it.  Well, that's all for now!  

Goodbye Tia Chatita

Sad day.  My Great-Great Aunt Chatita passed away early this morning.  She was about 99 (no one is really sure) and one of the greatest, most loving ladies I know.  I am so sad that she is gone but am also happy that she is gone because she was in a lot of pain.  Her hip came out of her socket and when I called Mama Neldita last night I could hear her wailing in the background and it made me so sad but still, I will miss her so much.  I would often talk to her on the phone and above is a picture of the last time I saw her in April 2008. 

Paul and I were just praying for her and I just felt impressed that she needed to go to be with Uncle Carlos and help him out and help out my cousins in England, especially Nina.  I am also sad for Mama Neldita because they were like sisters and she took care of Chatita for years and now she is gone and Mama Neldita doesn't have her buddy anymore.  The good news is that Chatita got baptized about two years ago and went through the temple so all will be well.  I know she is in a much better place now. 

Te quiero muchisimo Chatita.  Yo se que estas con tu mama ahora y con el Senor y eso me pone feliz.  Adios tia Chatita.

Bear Lake

Wow!  Time flies. I must post more and especially about our fun times at Bear Lake before I forget them all.  We went there for Labor Day weekend and had a really good time!  The weather was perfect and we went to the beach all day Saturday and Monday and it never rained and the water wasn't even too deathly cold.  Also, this was Elisabeth's first real trip this far from home and she did marvelously well!  She still went to bed every night at 6:30 and woke up at 6:30.  Her naps weren't too stellar because there was so much to see and do but she LOVES to see and do new things so it was right up her alley.  Here we are enjoying the beach on Saturday.

 Tee hee.  Paul says she looks like Stevie Wonder here.  So cute!

 The lovely Naomi. 

 My dearest Bethany.

 Sweet, sweet Eleanor. 

 Here I am trying to protect Elisabeth from the sun under a big tree.  Bless those people who planted trees on this beach a long time ago. 

We stayed at Dave's lovely townhome/cabin at Bear Lake and it's a great place!  We love going there.  It's right by a heated pool and close to town.  Also, it was nice that a lot of family was there with us so we had built in babysitters whenever we needed them.  For example, on Friday night we left Elisbeth with grandma and went for a lovely bike ride around town and got some dinner.  So fun!

Here is Elisabeth looking so cutely distressed with Bethany. 

On Saturday night, Jared came and we had worked on a Futurama surprise birthday party for Paul and he brought Paul a Futurama carrot cake and a funny banner and the whole family got into it.  Then, Paul and I went for a swim and when we came back everyone said surprise and we sang him happy birthday and he loved it.  Then we all made funny hats out of tin foil and took pictures.  It was so fun!! 

Here is Paul looking handsome and happy about his cake. 

 I caught him right in the act of being happy and surprised when he found out it was carrot cake.  His favorite!

 Here we are wearing our funny tinfoil party hats. 

Here's Paul and his mom wearing their cool hats. 

 I couldn't get over how sweet Caroline looked in hers. 

On Sunday, we went to church and it was soooo packed with vacationers.  It reminded me of stake conference.  We sat in the Relief Society room and watched church on the TV.  Here is sweet Elisabeth surrounded by her lovely cousins after church.  I love this picture. 

 Aunt Tiffany loved holding Elisabeth who looks so happy and doll-like here.  Cute!

We went to the beach again on Monday and were going to leave that afternoon but it was getting late and we were aftraid we were going to hit a lot of traffic so it was nice to know we could stay through Tuesday. 

 She looks like a little flower in her sun hat. 

 I loved carrying her around in the ergo baby.  It saved the day while we were at the beach and she took naps in it. 

Well, that was pretty much our trip.  It was the first vacation we have taken in months and we loved it! Next, we will be going to Colorado in October to see my parents and to go to Colorado Springs.