Frightmares 2014

My family continued our annual Lagoon Frightmares tradition on a gorgeous Sunday. We played games, rode on rides, and took Emilia through the kiddo Halloween walk-throughs. I can't believe what a toddler my little girl is these days. She ran everywhere. We didn't get a ton of smiles on camera (teething sucks), but we all had so much fun!

Witches hand out candy to kids during Frightmares

This girl loves her grandpa!

I was really looking forward to the hay maze because last year, Emilia wasn't mobile. She liked walking through it and getting candy, but what she REALLY wanted to do was steal all the pumpkins.

Last ride of the day

And a bonus then and now:

2013

2014

My Junior Zookeeper

Last year, my mom bought the most perfect outfit for Emilia. She finally got to wear it to the zoo last week and she was a great little model.

The patch says "Hogle Zoo Junior Zookeeper," but my favorite part of the outfit is the little key hanging from the belt

Of course, we saw some real animals too.

And no zoo trip is complete without a ride on the carousel.

Lagoon

Emilia is feeling pretty under the weather so we're all tired, but I wanted to post some of my favorite Lagoon pictures from a couple of weeks ago.

I bought this outfit months ago and saved it because it was so perfect for a day at Lagoon

We played some games, saw a neat show, and went on some rides.

I didn't know how Emilia would do on the kid rides, but I wanted to try them and she did such a good job! She rode Bulgy the Whale and the Baby Boats all by herself with no tears. She loved the boats the best and was so cute holding onto the wheel. 

My mom and I wanted to go on a few big rides so we left Emilia at the fountain with Joe and my dad. This girl loves water (and her grandpa!)

We love Lagoon and can't wait to go again!

Then and Now: Freedom Train

One of our family traditions is the Heber Creeper Freedom Train on the 4th of July. We like it because the tickets are only $10 and it's a fun (and early) way to start the holiday. I can't believe how much Emilia has changed!

Last year:

This year:

Last year:

This year:

Last year:

This year:

Then and now: Mother's Day

Then:

Mother's Day 2013. Emilia wasn't even a month old!

Now:

Mother's Day 2014 with my little lady

My baby isn't a baby anymore

On April 16th Emilia turned one year old. She is rapidly losing all of her baby qualities and looks and acts more like a toddler every day. The morning of her birthday, we met Joe's mom at a tasty diner near Park City. Mary had Emilia's present so we had a good breakfast, visited, and picked up the gift. After breakfast, we headed to the outlet mall to do a little shopping. Emilia had a little birthday money and she picked out a baby doll and some cute clothes to buy.We wanted to go to the park, but it was chilly so we decided to go home and watch Frozen. Emilia was teething and not feeling her best so she spent most of the movie cuddled on my lap. After the movie, we went out to dinner at Emilia's favorite Mexican restaurant. It was a really fun day.

Here are some thoughts from my first year with my baby girl:
From the hospital-
I had almost no pain during my entire 20 hour labor
The anesthesiologist was very nice and the the epidural was awesome
I think labor would have been pretty fun if the scary heart decelerations hadn't happened
Emilia was so small 5lbs 10oz. I was so worried that we wouldn't be able to bring her home
The small talk between the Dr. and nurses between pushing contractions was funny- they chatted about weather a lot
When Emilia's heart rate dropped again, everyone knew she had to get out immediately. I'll never forget how proud I was that I was able to deliver her quickly and safely.

About my baby-
She was so small. We needed to buy preemie clothes. They are so tiny!
Emilia cried a lot. And screamed a lot. She was not an easy newborn
The bouncy seat from Ethan and Jessica was a lifesaver
She was strong- she could lift her head really early
She was determined- she rolled early, crawled early, walked early

About my girl-
She is so beautiful
She is so independent. She has just started to give hugs and cuddle on the couch and I love it
She doesn't crawl anymore- she is starting to run
She is so smart
She can throw a good tantrum (especially if you try to bring her in from outside)
She is a great eater who loves flavor. Thai yellow curry is her favorite!

I feel like I have done everything "wrong" while raising Emilia. We formula fed starting at 10 weeks, we bedshare, we don't have a set daily schedule, we let her watch TV. But, she is happy and friendly, and good and everyone who meets her loves her so I must be doing something right. Watching her grow and learn is the most amazing thing in the world. I love her so much.

Emilia's Likes:
The movie Frozen
Chocolate
Flavorful food (Thai yellow curry, Chinese food, pickles)
Her baby dolls
Her stroller
The park
Splashing in the bath
Walking everywhere
Her cousins and neighbors

Emilia's Dislikes:
Sweets that aren't chocolate
Getting things taken away
Going inside
Her crib (working on this one)

12 months

11 months

10 months

9 months

8 months

7 months

6 months

5 months

4 months

3 months

2 months

1 month

Easter weekend

Because the date of Easter moves around so much, this was Emilia's first Easter even though she had already turned one. We started the Easter fun on Saturday morning with a couple of local egg hunts. The first one was a huge hunt in the park with eggs, candy, and toys. The kids were separated by age which was good because there were so many kids there! Emilia got pretty impatient waiting for the hunt to begin (try telling a one year old that she can't go see all the shiny things in the park!) At 10:00 the hunt began and Emilia filled her basket with goodies. After the hunt was over we headed to another one at a local coffee shop. I think she had a pretty good time!

Sunday morning, we headed downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny had brought. E got a big soft bunny, an Easter book, a hoppy bunny, a lamb, a bib, and some treats. 

That afternoon we drove to my mom's house and Emilia got another Easter basket. We went outside and did a little Easter photo shoot.

Easter dinner was at Ethan and Jessica's house. We went over at 4 and let the kiddos loose in the backyard. I love love love watching Emilia play with her cousins. They are so cute together. 

Emilia has recently discovered that balls are pretty fun to play with. Luckily her cousins had some for her to play with.

Notice all the Easter baskets!

Damma and the grandkids

Chocolate bunny!

Before dinner, the kiddos had to have their annual hunt. The Easter Bunny left clues that led to a big bag of toys and treats. James was really into the hunt. Emilia wasn't sure what was going on, but she loved the Easter treasure!

My mom and Jessica made a delicious Easter feast. I think I ate more than I ate at Thanksgiving. Everything was so yummy!

Happy Easter!