She walks!!

Elisabeth's actually took her first steps on Wednesday, Dec 21, 3 days shy of 9 months.  I couldn't believe it but I saw it.  Since then she has walked more and more and yesterday Paul counted her walking 12 steps in a row.  She's so happy when she walks. 

 She also loves to wave.  She's such a happy babe.  I love her so much. 

Christmas 2011

We went to Colorado for Christmas and had a really nice time.  We got there on Christmas Eve morning and that night my mother threw a small Christmas party (with Santa) for her day care kids.  I really liked the party because it was manageable.  There weren't too many people and by 6 everyone was gone so that the kids could go to bed. 

Doesn't Elisabeth look lovely in that picture?  I got her the prettiest red dress for Christmas.  My dad looks happy too, doesn't he?  He has had some joint pain so he has to walk with a cane but he will get a short surgery in February which will help.

Anyway, we had a lovely Christmas party.  Here are some pictures of Lizzie by the tree in her party dress.  Doesn't she look so pretty? 

 My dear dad enjoying the party. 

Lizzie's favorite place these days is in the bottom of the exersaucer.  So cute!

 Santa came over. 

 Lizzie wasn't too please to be held by him. 

Here are some pics of Lizzie bonding with my parents.  They just loved her.

 I really like this pic. 

 And this one is precious too.

 I need to frame this one. 

Paul and I went on a nice all-day date while we were there.  We went hiking up in the mountains of Chataqua which I have always loved.  I've always enjoyed going up there since I was a kid and have felt a closeness to God there.  I am so glad I got to introduce it to Paul.

 Our friends, Charlie and Gunnar Neumann, also came over to visit.  They stayed for hours and are like family.  We love them a lot.  They are Elisabeth's godparents. 

Paul went home a little early and we stayed and played with grandma and grandpa.  Elisabeth practiced standing and walking a little too.  She is 9 months going on 12 months for sure.  Here she is standing around in my room.

 I love this pic of her with my mother.  She looks happy.

 I took this picture to remember how I look as a young mom later.  : ) 

We came home on Jan 2 and it was a wonderful trip.  Here's to 2012!!

Lizzie is 9 months old!!

Will you look at that kiddo??  Fastest 9 months ever!  What a cutie huh?  She's actually been 9 months old for over a week now but we were all in Colorado visiting my parents so I didn't really join the cyberworld while I was there. 

To tell you the truth I didn't mind not being part of my computer for about 10 days and that is one of my new year's resolution. I am going to stop surfing the web so much and I am going to focus more on the gospel.  I especially will not participate in Facebook as much.  I was considering just getting off of Facebook all together but that wouldn't work because I use it for work and I need to stay on top of things but I will not post any more pictures of me or my family and I won't do a lot of personal posts.  I just get the feeling that it could be a scary notion later on in life.

Anyhoo, back to baby girl.  She actually took her first step on Wednesday, December 21 while she was still 8 months.  Can you believe it?  She now takes a few small steps a day but mostly focuses on standing and cruising.  Here's what else she's doing:

• She has had a big cold all of December, poor thing.  We can't seem to shake it
• She waves all the time and I swear yesterday she pointed to her mouth do to the sign for hungry and sure enough she was hungry
• She says baba and mama all the time
• She can climb up stairs and is proud of it
• She loves happy music and bounces to it and loves when I sing to her and "sings" along with me
• She likes to bounce on the bouncy seat like she is on a boat
• She loves to clap her hands and is proud of it
• She likes hugs and cuddles a bit more these days
• She is less interested in books these days  
• She likes to grab onto my nose
• She likes to eat pretty much anything I give her but especially bread
• She is not so much a fan of sleeping still.  She begrudingly takes a nap but she sleeps through the night like a champ so it's all good.
• Her top front tooth is slowly coming out
• She loves people and shrieks at the top of her lungs when she is happy.  It is the cutest thing.

I am sure I will think of some more things soon.  She constantly brings a smile to my face.  Next post will be about Christmas.

Lizzie likes Santa

We took her to our ward Christmas breakfast and she didn't mind sitting on his lap.  I think she was too entranced by her candy cane.  But anyway, how cute it she here? 

In unrelated news, here is what she does all the time now.

She is baby-stands-a lot and now she is look-ma-no-hands baby.  She likes to see how long she can stand without falling on her cute little bum.  It's Christmas next Sunday.  Yipee! 

DMC Christmas Dinner with the First Presidency

So every year in December DMC has a special Christmas dinner just for DMC VPs, board of directors, and the first presidency.  I actually got asked to play in it last year because I played the harp and then got asked to play the violin and harp in it again this year.  Let me tell you, it's a real treat and one of our favorite events of the year.  It was lovely last year but somehow even lovelier this year. 

Dazzling isn't it?  The deco was blue and silver and the food was incredible - pomegranate salad, fresh Lion House rolls, salmon, filet minion wrapped in bacon, and asparagus and yummy deserets which I couldn't finish.  President Monson sat at that table right in front of the music stand and I got to look at him while I played.  I even got to shake his hand before the event started and he was so kind and loving and afterward I just stood there basking in the warmth and joy of being so close to him until my boss, Greg, kind of did an "earth to Nelda" wake up call.  Haha.  What a moment of joy.  I played the violin in a quartet with the choir  made up of DMC employees and the choir was just tremendous.  I know there were angels singing along.  Everyone was moved.  President Monson even stood up to applaud after the songs. 

I got to play the harp during the beginning of dinner. Paul got to come too so he could help me with my harp and he was tickled by the whole event.

While playing my harp, President Uchtdorf and his wife, Harriet, came up to me and started talking to me about how they remembered my parents calling me Neldita and asked about my parents too.  I told my father later on and he was very happy about it.  They were so kind and thoughtful to do that. 

It was one of those nights you never forget and can't believe really happened.  I got to observe President Packer and his wife and saw so many of the 12 apostles there it was truly moving.  President Uchtdorf gave a closing talk about the Savior which I loved.  I'm happy that Paul and I get to share that memory together and I'm grateful for my musical talents so that I could be there that night.  What a lovely December evening it was.

 

Baby Ben is born

So we got back from Hawaii on Tuesday morning November 28 (horrid red-eye flight with baby only sleeping two hours, don't even get me started) and we did some catch up.  The next day, Paul flew in on the red eye and we picked him up and went to visit Martha's new baby Ben Archer Mortensen who was born on Tuesday, Nov 28 at 3 a.m.  It was so fun to see such a tiny, precious little baby.  I can't believe Lizzie was ever that tiny.  Lizzie really liked him.  Greta ended up naming him.  How cute is that?  Maybe Lizzie will name our next baby.  We'd love to have another baby soon.  I'll keep ya posted.  Here is a cute pic of Lizzie staring down at baby Ben.  She squealed in delight. 

He was born via C-section a few days early and Martha looks great!  So happy all is well.  

We're in Hawaii

Wow!  I just partook in the most peaceful sunset.  It was pure perfection and I basked in every moment of it.  I have decided that partaking in a sunset is like feeling God gently smiling upon you.  It is so, well, I have no words.  Better to just show you.

So, where do I begin?  How about with this cute little bug below who has been my best buddy on this trip while Paul is at work working hard.   

I had to wake her up in the middle of her nap to take her to the airport.  She is sooo precious when she sleeps.  She sticks her little bum in the air and pretty much her whole body rests on her head!  

Here she is on our Salt Lake City to Seattle leg of the trip.  She liked this part of it but had a really hard time sleeping later.  I wasn't sure if it was even worth it until we got there. 

This was the incredible view from our junior suite (we got upgraded because we requested a handicapped room) of the ocean!!  It's so incredibly happy and peaceful. 

Here I am all dressed for church in my favorite white dress. 

Well, my computer is being weird, or blogger is or was.   It won't let me post a lot of photos and now we are back from Hawaii and I have so much to catch up on.  So I leave you with these a few pics below.  But don't despair, we had such a blast in Hawaii and took so many pics I have decided to make a whole photo book out of it for Paul for Valentine's day.