Is Spring Coming?!?

Cambria loves, I mean LOVES being outside. She has recently been able to communicate that need. She'll point to her coat, and then to the door.
Today it was actually warm outside!!! So what did we do all day? Played outside. We took a good long walk in the morning/late morning, took a nap, then went to the park, where we happened to run into 6 of our friends from the ward. After spending a few hours at the park, daddy took her out for a bit and she loved it till she had to go back into the car. THEN... After dinner we planted some flowers daddy got for me just because, so Cambria got to play outside some more. ... And then the tears came when we went back inside.

We may just live outside for the next 5 months. I may die of heat exhaustion, but Cambria will love it.

I'm so sick of Winter

The title says it all. This week it has been cold, we have had a few days in the last few weeks to remind us of the joys of spring. But it's supposed to snow on Saturday. I'm SO SICK of staying inside!

Cambria is too! I put on her jacket today because she was cold (in our house) and she started saying "please" and using every sign she had in her vocabulary to try to tell me she wanted to go outside. I eventually got it, and even though it was cold, it was just what both of us needed. Just a little vitamin D.

peek-a-boo

sometimes this happens...

Funnies

I decided to work out in the evening once last week. Jonathan worked on the couch while I exercised on the floor. The next morning I mentioned that I was sore from the push-ups I did last night. He kind of looked at me, and then got a slightly confused look on his face. Then he started laughing. At first I thought he was laughing at what a small amount of push-ups would make me sore... Then he said "I must have really been in the zone. I was completely unaware that you did push-ups last night!"

... He was facing me the entire time I was working out... he must have REALLY been in the zone :)

Walker?

The milestone of walking is a hard one to say when it is reached. Cambee has been taking a few steps ever since she was about 11 months, but wasn't really "walking". Now she has walked almost the entire length of our kitchen/entry way (which is saying a lot, and not at the same time... our house is really small). We got a video right at the beginning of this month that is proof that she's walking. She is walking a lot better now, but crawling is still her preferred method of movement. I'm not sure if we have "arrived" in regards to having a walking baby, but I believe we are close.

Here's the link to the video https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153863431630062

Transitions

WARNING: very vulnerable post ahead

I have a one year old. I never thought that it would take me over a year to transition to mommyhood. I still feel like I'm learning how to do this whole mommy thing. Some days (like last night) end in lots of tears for reasons like "I know this is the most important thing I can be doing right now, but day in and day out I feel purposeless." "All I do all day is wait for the day to end so I can see Jonathan at the end of it" "The only things I have to look forward to are play dates, and if I don't have one it's a bad day". The struggle here is that I want to (and know I should) do more, but I don't want to add anything to my plate because my plate is already full. I know if I planned things to do then I would feel better, but if I plan things then I just have one more thing that I want to do but don't get around to doing it.

Struggles.

Don't get worried, I'm not depressed. We all have highs and lows, and that's normal and healthy.

I want to be better, I want to be self sufficient, I want to be able to go day in and day out without feeling like I need to get out of my own house, or have someone over.  Hopefully if I keep working at it, it'll get better.

These feelings are normal, right? Other moms feel/have felt this way, right?

Peanut butter

Jonathan text me the other day (when I was at a Relief Society Activity) and said "Cambria likes peanut butter!" Awesome... what did he put it on? A spoon... He fed her peanut butter like it was baby food.
Today, I tried to use peanut butter like most people eat it, on something. But she wouldn't have it, she just wanted it on the spoon...
Like father, like daughter :)

Bucket Fillers

Two experiences filled my bucket this week.

Friday was a BEAUTIFUL day! It got all the way up to 45 degrees and it was sunny. A few friends and I decided to go on a walk to enjoy the day. On the drive over to the walking destination, Cambria and I listened to springtime primary songs. That helped the mood of our trip. When we got out of the car and started our walk, we couldn't stop talking about how wonderful sunshine and warmth is. I really hope spring is on it's way. I'm so over this winter. The sunny walk did a lot of good things for my soul.

On Saturday I went wedding dress shopping!!! Jonathan's lab mate just got engaged and needed to find a wedding dress. She is from China and wanted some help from an "expert", all I can say is she got stuck with me. But... getting out of the house, getting out of "mommy mode", and into a bridal shop was exactly what I needed this week. It felt SO GOOD to be doing something I love, being in an environment that I haven't experienced in two years, and helping someone at the same time. She found a beautiful dress that I'm going to alter (from a size 6 down to a 0... wish me luck :) ). The store is going out of business, so we scored a $900 for $399! Thus the size 6 dress. Most people aren't shopping for a dress to take off the rack, but we were... Places outside of Utah don't keep multiple sizes of gowns in stock, just sizes that lots of people can try on.

Because they were going out of business, the place was packed, so I was her consultant since everyone else was busy. By the end, I had a few consultants watching me do my thing. I think I do things a little differently than they do. If they want to start using my tactics, I don't mind. They work. I'm not saying this to brag, or to be boastful, but it just felt SO GOOD to be back in that element. I probably will never work in a bridal shop again, but if I could swing doing something like that every few years I think my bridal consultant bucket would be filled.

When we walked out, one of them turned to my friend and said "You should probably buy her dinner..." I had a good laugh about that. From the sounds of it, we will be getting free, home cooked, legit, Chinese food soon. I'm not complaining about that at all!

Yay for bucket fillers!

Mullet, Gone!

I have been noticing that as Cambria's hair is getting longer, so is her mullet. Someone in church mentioned that she had one (after I said she did) and that motivated me to get the scissors out. She has had her first hack job hair cut!

[caption id="attachment_1187" align="aligncenter" width="584"] Before...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1188" align="aligncenter" width="584"] After.[/caption]

It's a little too short. Good thing hair grows

Pictures and Video from Cambee's first birthday

Enjoy

[caption id="attachment_1174" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I just love how she crosses her legs as she plays. Such a lady[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1175" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Just playing with daddy[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1176" align="aligncenter" width="225"] 12 Months[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1177" align="aligncenter" width="225"] for some reason it's getting harder and harder to get a smiling picture of this girl![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1178" align="aligncenter" width="225"] "See me standing?"[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1179" align="aligncenter" width="300"] What is it about a baby in a laundry basket that is so adorable?[/caption]



Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of her eating her first cupcake, or opening her gifts... like I said, I was living in survival mode, with a cold on top of that.

Here is a really long video of her eating her cake, feel free to stop it after a minute or so... it's just more of the same. I just didn't want to edit it

http://youtu.be/OYxifzTD8oM

Here are some random pictures for you to enjoy as well

[caption id="attachment_1181" align="aligncenter" width="225"] taken at our ward Valentine's dance[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Proof that she's a big girl, in her big girl car seat and a bow without a headband![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1183" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This is what happens if we lay on the floor. She comes and cuddles with us (sometimes cutting off our airway... thus the face)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1184" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Just our happy girl with her loving daddy[/caption]

You know you're a daddy when...

A couple nights ago I wake up and  roll over. Jonathan, fully asleep, moves his arm and tickles my side and says "tktktktk" (you know how you do when you are tickling a baby?)

hahah! It makes me laugh every time I think about it.