President Monson

I just read this on my sister-n-law's blog and thought that this was amazing! President Thomas S Monson was voted the most powerful octogenarian (person over 80) for the second year in a row by Slate. I especially love that when you click on his face and see what he has done for the world since turning 80 it says, "Is regarded by the world's more than 13 million Mormons as a Prophet of God 'in the same way they view Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and the apostles in the day of Jesus Christ'." I love how they word it. For one thing, they recognize that he is regarded as a Prophet and not as a Savior, like some people confuse. For another, I love how his name is put up next to the other Prophets from the Old Testament. He truly is called of God in the same way. This is such a wonderful thing to know. It is an incredible gift that God has given us today, as if He hasn't given us enough already!

What we've been up to lately...

I can't say that I've been very good at taking pictures this past month or so, but I have been better than other months! Things have been fun, crazy and busy. But I thought I'd let y'all know what we've been up to.
Of course, living on an island in the gulf has its perks! One of those things is the beautiful beaches and one of the others is the warm weather in the fall and winter months! Gotta take advantage of it! We love going for walks on the beach and so does the little lady! She just wishes we'd let her really get dirty in the sand more often! And let her put all of the seaweed into her mouth! Ick!


The firemen came to storytime at the library one day. Lydia could have cared less about them. But she did enjoy the truck!


We had a bonfire with some friends out at Crystal Beach (for those who aren't familiar with the area, Crystal Beach is on a peninsula that we get to ride a ferry out to from Galveston.) That was by far the best bonfire I have ever done! The wind was blowing in the same direction off the water all evening and kept the smoke from the fire going in the same direction! So, we could sit around the fire without getting blown by smoke and smelling like it for days afterwards! It was amazing! Plus you can't beat ditching the group for a little bit to take a moonlit stroll on the beach! Amazing! And Lydia loved getting dirty in the sand (and taking a few handfuls of it to the mouth)!

Lydia went on her second plane trip to Washington for Thanksgiving. This is her on one of the better flights! She loved playing on the tray! Luckily we got the whole row for 3 out of 4 of the flights.

Lydia slowly warmed up to the cat during her time at grandma and grandpa's. At first she enjoyed looking at him from a distance, but would cry when the cat made any sudden jumps that scared her. But by the end of the trip she did not let the cat rest in peace! Luckily the cat was very patient with all her poking and prodding!

Washington was sooooo cold! I could have gone without seeing snow this year! Lydia didn't know what to think getting bundled up so much! (Do you like our way of bundling her up since we are from an island?!!! We don't really have snowboots and heavy coats! But we had already gotten her a warm hat and gloves.)
Lydia discovered fallen leaves! She picked a favorite one and carried it around with her.

We were fortunate to make it up to my grandma's house while we were in Washington. We went for a walk around my grandpa's grave. I think it was good for me to get to visit and try to find some closure. I still have a hard time believing that he's not physically here sometimes. (This is a picture of us with grandpa's grave and my Uncle Mark and Grandma Matthews.)

Three out of Four of the generations. Mom, you need to come up with us sometime so that we can get all 4 generations! Lydia loved her great grandma though!

After coming back from Washington, we thawed out and enjoyed some time outdoors. Lydia is a big fan of the swings and even tried out the slide on her own! I'm not sure how much she liked it. She smiled at the top and then smiled when I caught her at the bottom. But all in between was a look of terror!

We went to the Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens. It was such an amazingly beautiful night! And the lights were so original!

And there you have it. That's some of the things we've been doing the past month. Also mixed in is David studying like crazy. He has 2 more tests next week before Christmas break. And also trying to get everything ready for Christmas. It's been fun though!

To Lydia at 10 Months!

Dear Lydia,

The Holiday season is filled with so many ups and downs, but I am so grateful to have you to share it with this year. You bring joy to even the gloomiest of days! Your sweet smile is so incredibly contagious! And you don't shy away from sharing it with most everyone you meet. I've had opportunity to reflect on the many things I have to be grateful for recently, and you are right up at the top. I am so thankful to have you as my daughter.
Once again, you never cease to surprise me with all that you accomplish. You are off the charts! Here are just a few of the many things you have done this month!

*The first one that everyone notices is that you walk! You are most always on your little feet moving around! It's so fun to watch you! I never tire of it! And you still have the cute new walker style where you pick up your feet super high and look like you might topple over any second, yet somehow manage to stay up. I think one of my favorite things about you walking is how you sometimes hold your arms out in front of you. It's almost like a zombie walk! (but in a super cute way)
*You are a climber! I don't really know how or when you learned it, but you did! When we went to Grandma and Grandpa Dickinson's for Thanksgiving, it's like you already knew how to get up those stairs. Nobody had to show you a thing! Oh dear! It's only a matter of time before it's the kitchen chairs!
*You love to have your little pointer finger out pointing at things! It's so much fun! You point at things in books, on people's faces, or whatever! You just love having your little finger pointing!
*You have learned how to clap! I've been trying to teach you for a while now, and then just last week I put on some music and you started clapping to it! It's so much fun now! You clap over almost anything!
*You are starting to figure out the light switches! At least every night after you brush your teeth you point to the light switch in the bathroom and wait for me to let you turn off the light. It takes several tries for you to successfully turn it off, but when you do, you get a look of triumph!
*One night I started putting some blocks in your hoodie and you copied me by throwing them over your shoulder into your hoodie. Well, I still catch you occasionally tossing things over your shoulder. It's super funny!
*You are quite the little beggar! You love food! I think I've said this in just about every letter to you! But it is so true! We let you eat a much larger variety of foods now. Anything that you can mash in your mouth. So, lots of breads and cheeses. And some other things. There's almost always something on our plates that you can manage, and you know it! In fact, you enjoyed your first Thanksgiving dinner of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, jello and rolls.
*Tooth number 3 is on it's way in! And, surprising to me, it's on the bottom too! Still no top teeth!
*You love to play chase with us now! You still don't chase us, but you love it when we chase you!
*You have started to throw balls! Well, sorta. I noticed you one day with the juggling balls making the cutest sounds. Then I realized that you would grab it and sorta toss it/let go of it like you were trying to juggle too.
*As you have noticed in several of these comments, you are starting to copy what we do. This is so exciting and nerve racking at the same time! I've got to watch myself more now, but I love seeing you try new things!
*You are much more interactive with your little friends! You love playing with them and laughing with them whenever they come over!
*You went on your second plane trip! This I could leave off the the fun list. But you enjoyed looking out the windows and pulling the magazines out of the pockets.
*Unfortunately the first surgery done on your eye to unclog your tearduct was unsuccessful. So, we just took you today to have it done again. Many people have been fasting and praying on your behalf. We will find out if it worked in just a few days.
*You are figuring out clothes. When we try to put on a onesie or shirt you help get your arms through. The other day you saw a santa hat on the floor and tried to put it on your head. We were astounded that you'd figured that out because we hadn't even shown you that it was a hat. You also put your mardi gras beads on around your neck now.
*And now we must hide all the pens! You have figured out how to uncap them! It's only a matter of time before you try to write on things!

Lydia, I love you so much and love experiencing the simple joys in life with you. I am so proud of everything you have accomplished so far and am so excited for you to discover more of the world around you! Thank you for choosing to come to our family! We love you!

Love,
Momma

To Lydia at 9 Months

Sweet Lydia,

It's so hard to believe that you have now officially been out of the womb as long as you were in it! And, I must say that these 9 months have been so much better than the ones in the womb! You are such a smart, energetic, and happy little girl! You amaze me everyday with the things you are learning! In fact, today you officially waved goodbye to me! That was super exciting! It was prompted by me, but you reciprocated.
Here's some of the other things you have been doing this month:
*You are getting much greater balance on your feet. You can stand very well on your own and have gained confidence in taking a few independent steps. You don't hesitate like you used to. And you are successful in making it a couple of feet. I expect you to be walking all over this month! And I actually think I'm ready for you to so that you'll stop noticing all the little pieces of grime on the ground and sticking them in your mouth!
*You play peek a boo with us now! You have always been a fan of the game, but now you will duck behind a chair or curtain and pop out for us to laugh at! I can't even describe how it makes my heart melt!
*You have actually become a little more cuddly with me! This I could get used to! Every once in a while you will lean your head on my chest and just lay there. I treasure these moments.
*You have perfected your little pincers! They are always wanting to pick things up from your food to the grime on the floor. And, of course, everything goes to your mouth!
*You had surgery on your eye this month. It was a fairly small procedure done in the doctor's office. You were swaddled up super tight and strapped to the table so that you wouldn't move. This, you didn't seem to mind at all. You were looking at everyone curiously, trying to figure out what was going on. Then the procedure started and that's when you got mad. The doctor was putting a small tube through your tear duct in order to open it up so that you would stop getting all the watery/gunky eyes. We're still waiting to see if it works. If it doesn't then we will have to go through it all again. We're really praying for you!
*You have fallen in love with table food! Anytime you see us eating, you expect a bite of it! And you will stay at our knees begging. Unfortunately there are still many things you can't eat because you only have 2 teeth. But you don't care! You will eat anything that comes your way!
*Your new favorite toy: Plastic Easter Eggs. I found some lying around a few weeks ago and decided to throw them in your toy bin. It was love at first sight! You love the bright colors, banging them together and carting them around everywhere with you. You also love maracas, blocks, your walker, books, paper/cardboard, and all of the untouchables (computers, remotes and cell phones).
*You can often be found playing under things. You enjoy being under tables. This has given me a great idea for your Christmas gift! I'm excited!
*I pulled out Daddy's juggling balls the other day and you think they're the greatest! It's fun to watch Daddy juggle, but even better to watch Mommy! For some funny reason you find it hilarious when I attempt to juggle. Probably because I can't and am constantly dropping/throwing the balls all around the room. You can't seem to stop laughing at me!
*You've also developed a little bit of an opinion. If you don't get what you want, you will throw a fit. We are quickly trying to teach you that this is not okay so that it doesn't get out of control. But I didn't expect this to happen so quickly.
*Along with the last one comes the fact that you have figured out how to open cabinets. We took the next step of baby proofing and put latches on all of the dangerous cabinets. This infuriates you! You get so frustrated that they won't open for you anymore! However, you have also figured out the cabinets that we have not put latches on and are enjoying pulling out pots and pans, etc. You will be in for a rude awakening when those ones get latches very soon too.
*Another reason I think I am ready for you to start walking is that you are into everything anyways. You are constantly on your tippy toes reaching for whatever you can grab off of tables and counters. You don't tend to play with things for very long once you get them. It's just fun being able to reach things and pull them down. Like your books off of your shelf, for example.
*You have started putting things into compartments now. Like balls into the compartments of your walker. This has only happened a couple times so far, but I know it will become more frequent and I will start finding socks in the silverware drawer (Like your cousin Caleb)!
*Along with all of these things, you are developing a sweet personality. You can often be found playing with your toys and cocking your sweet head to the side. This surprises me because this is something I did a lot as a little girl. Anytime someone would tell me to smile for a picture, I would also cock my head to the side. It reminds me that you truly are my little girl!

Overall, this month has been a joy! You dressed up as an angel for Halloween and it was the perfect costume for you! You truly are an angel. We love you and wouldn't trade you for the world! I went through all of the videos we have of you the other day and it was so precious to watch your developments from a little smile to a fully animated little girl! I'm excited for more! Keep on shining Angel!

Love,
Momma

Happy Halloween!

As promised, we did a photoshoot of Lydia in her sweet angel costume! She was the perfect little angel in it too! I couldn't find any wings small enough for her in the stores or online, so I ended up making them. However, I don't think I ever would have been able to find any nearly so cute! I love how they ended up! So, here you go! Enjoy!

Videos of our Star!

Lydia is getting more and more fun and animated everyday! My parents found a fun walker for her and she was having the time of her life! She could move so much more quickly than normal! She definitely prefers 2 legs to all fours. I also like seeing how she reacts to my family. I want her to be familiar with them and not feel like she's seeing strangers everytime. Although, she still plays shy with our friends that we see a few times a week. Hmmm...we'll get through this. As long as she warms up quickly.



She's enjoys playing more games with us too! She likes Peek a boo, especially with Daddy because he gets really animated! I love how excited she gets in this video! Her legs are jumping up and down and she is ready for the next pop!

Updates!

So many things going on! It's hard to know where to start! So, I'll start with the more recent and work my way back.
Lydia went to the doctors yesterday for her 9 month well checkup! Wow! I'll write more of a letter when her 9 month birthday actually rolls around. But here are her stats. She is a very strong, healthy little girl! She weighs 20 lbs 3 oz, which is the 78th percentile for her age. And she is 29 inches long, which is the 97th percentile!!! Such a tall little girl! No wonder she towers over her friends! They aren't small! She's just big! And it's no wonder with how much she loves to eat! Lydia is meeting all of her age development goals. In fact, they didn't even have any questions on there about taking independent steps yet! She's passing them all up! She's just so full of energy and curiosity about everything around her! I love that little girl! I'll let you know more about some of her other developments in her letter next week. For now, just know that she is strong, healthy, and still only takes a few independent steps by herself (thank goodness!)
Lydia and I spent some good girl bonding time!

David has been taking tests like crazy this week! In fact, he is taking his last one right now. (Good luck David!) So, this has been a pretty tiring week for all of us! I have been trying to keep Lydia and I busy so that we don't kill eachother and so that David can study. This week has been very difficult and it's only a taste of what things are going to be like once David starts really studying for Step 1!

We were able to go see my sister, Brittany a couple of weekends ago for her to give her talk in Sacrament meeting, to celebrate her birthday, and to say goodbye before she leaves for her mission in Berlin, Germany. It was fun to spend a little bit of time with her. Right after we got in the door and sat down Brittany asked if we want to open our Christmas presents (we do sibling exchanges each year, and Brittany had our name). She was super excited and wanted to watch Lydia open her present. As expected, Lydia was super excited about the wrapping paper, but still liked the book too.
And David and I got the best present ever!!!
Okay, she didn't really give us Lydia, but it's an adorable picture anyways! We also really liked the Sequence game and the baby book!!! Thanks Aunt Brittany!
The next day we went to Six Flags Fright Fest with my mom and Neil. My dad was still at a work conference and Brittany had to work for her last day. David and I have already turned into duds! We didn't want to go on any rides and just wanted to watch the shows! It was fun and that's all my mom and Neil wanted to do too. We also enjoyed trying on hats in the gift shop!

On Sunday we enjoyed listening to Brittany's talk in Sacrament meeting. She did an excellent job talking about her preparation for her mission. She has done so many things in being an example of Jesus Christ and his gospel. We are so scared to share our testimonies with others sometimes, but we really shouldn't be. I still love how Brittany ended up taking an entire class period in her English class one time sharing the 1st lesson of Joseph's Smith's vision and the Book of Mormon because her teacher knew she was a member of the church and felt the rest of the class needed to understand what the church really believes. I wonder if I would have had the courage at that age to do that. She really will be a great missionary! We love you Brittany and know you will bless the lives of so many people in Germany!

The rest of our time has been spent doing fun little things around Galveston. We go to the aquarium, splash in the swimming pool, play in the sand at the beach, and enjoy time with friends.
I have also been working on Lydia's halloween costume. We're going to do a photo shoot of her later today after David's test. It is so incredibly cute and perfect for her!!! I'll share pictures of it soon!
OH, and so everyone knows. I'm so sorry I have been awful at updating pictures! I finally added Octobers in there. But there are also a ton more in the September folder. Enjoy! I'll try to be better about that!

Little Stinker!

Can it really be time for this already?!!! I don't think so! But she sure does! Here's a sampling of what the little lady thinks she's ready for. I'm already missing my little baby! She's getting so grown up!

Happy 8 Months to Lydia

I could have sworn I wrote Happy 7 Months just last week! Wow! I think that each month just keeps on getting shorter and shorter! We are having so much fun together and are able to do more together. Here's to hoping this next month slows down a bit! (Knock on wood!)

Dear Sweet Lydia,

There are so many words I could use to describe you. Curious, energetic, social, yet shy, sweet, kissable, occasionally huggable, focused, outdoorsy, water-baby, fearless. These are just a few that came to mind. As I talk more about your explorations this month, they will make more sense.
As I wrote about last week, you got your first tooth this month! However, Happy 8 Month Birthday to you! You got your 2nd tooth on Monday (your official 8 month birthday!) So, you now have your 2 bottom front teeth! I expect some more this month and soon enough you will get to explore all those foods you want to eat off of our plates!
Here are some more of the many things you have done this month:
*The most often commented on is your amazing energy in getting around! You are getting so close to walking! You constantly pull yourself up onto everything and explore your way around. You are so quick at walking along furniture. Another little (yet huge) progression this month is your standing! You have stood up for about 10 full seconds before squatting down to the ground. You don't like falling on your bum. You slowly squat down and then sit. You have such good control! Though I don't like to admit it, I think you will definitely be standing on your own for a whole lot longer this month. On occasion you make your own free step too when something is just out of your reach and you're already standing up. I was thinking about getting you a walker toy, but you're advanced enough on your own. I think that you will progress just great at your own timing without me pushing you along to walk sooner!
*You can pick up little foods and put them in your mouth now! This is so great! You love having little foods on your highchair tray and feeding yourself. And you know food when you see it! You move so fast to get to it!
*You can hold your own bottle. Though I love the opportunity to snuggle you close, so I still feed it to you most the time. It's great that you have the capability of being more independent.
*You are such a social, yet shy little girl! I love it! You love being around people and don't like being left out of the loop. Yet when we go out in public and people start talking to you and playing with you, you bury your head into my chest. You love watching people though. However, you make people you don't know work so insanely hard to get you to smile! I guess it's good that people need to earn your affections! It makes me feel a bit safer.
*You are your momma's girl! You love being outside enjoying the fresh air! It doesn't really matter where we go. You just love being outside. It can be at a park on a swing, curiously exploring the grass, crawling all over the sand on the beach and into the water, walking in a stroller on the seawall, or just sitting out on our balcony. In fact, probably your favorite place in out apartment is next to the balcony door! You spend a lot of time playing there with your toys.
*You will finally eat meats! You still make faces at us as we feed them to you, but you eat them.
*And best of all, you love playing with us! Whether it's peek a boo, this little piggy, pat a cake, or making train noises as we feed you. You smiles are contagious!
I love you sweet Lydia! I wish you could stay this young forever, but I know that each age will have many joys. You will always be my sweet angel. Keep using that curiosity and energy for good.
love,
Momma

A tooth for a tooth (and some extras!)

It's true! After months and months of people telling me that my baby was teething for one reason or another, Lydia's first tooth has started to peek out! What her teething was like, I really couldn't tell you. It seemed mostly the same as the past 7 1/2 months. She was just as drooly, just as cranky, just as sleepy. You name it, it seems to have been the same for forever. And I'm sure she wasn't teething for 7 1/2 months. However it all happened, we are so excited that she's getting her little incisors! OH, and it's the bottom right front tooth. (Probably more for my records than your interest.)
Lydia has been up to quite a bit lately. I'm sorry I've been slow on the blogging. But we have been thoroughly enjoying each other. Here are some videos that show some of the fun we have been having.


Lydia seemed to be reading to herself. It was oh so endearing to watch!



Lydia loves holding onto our pants while we walk! She seems to think she's such a big girl! How does she grow so fast?!



She's getting so fun and interactive! I love how she laughs in anticipation of things now! I think she gets more of a kick out of the anticipation than the actual tickling or whatever!



Lydia loves to play in the sand! It's so squishy in her fingers and toes! She actually didn't even try to eat any this time! Hooray!

So, these are some of the fun things we have been up to. Mostly Lydia. But, she's so cute and fun, how could our worlds not revolve around her? Hope you enjoyed the videos!

And another giveaway

My mom was kind enough to let me know about another scrap giveaway. So, in my attempts to get more entries, you can all check it out here.

To Lydia at 7 months

I meant to write this last weekend, when Lydia actually turned 7 months, but since we were in San Antonio and busy with family it got put off. So, here it is. A little late. But I did it nonetheless.

Dear Sweet Lydia,
You grow more beautiful everyday! And you seem to want to show it to the world! Your activeness has increased probably 10 times this month! You have figured out the ability you have to transport yourself where you want to go. Fortunately, you aren't excessively fast right now. But it's only a matter of time!
Let's see, what are your new tricks this month? Just about everything!
*You first figured out how to make yourself sit up from a laying down position. This has been nice because you no longer lie in a crunching position fussing that you want to get up. You can do it yourself. However, you still do crunches once in a while to keep your abs in shape.
*Then you figured out how to pull yourself up onto things and even move yourself along them a little bit. Fortunately you're not too coordinated on that part yet and so some things remain safe. But, once again, it's only a matter of time. With the ability to pull yourself up onto things came the struggle of falling asleep on your own in your crib. Now I think you're getting the grasp of bringing yourself back down from a standing position (plopping onto your well padded bum) and this has helped a bit. Maybe you'll pass this phase quickly and will sleep well again. (fingers crossed!)
*A couple weeks ago I was getting a little bit frustrated that you show so much desire to be on your feet that you would skip the crawling phase all together. So, in an attempt to preserve my sanity, I put you down on all fours and showed you the movements of crawling. You picked it up in a matter of minutes! Now you are slowly perfecting this skill and enjoy crawling towards random cords we have yet to hide and following me (whining) as I move from room to room. Though you started out crawling on all fours, you quickly developed your own style where your right foot remains on the ground and helps propel you around. It's rather amusing to watch. (See video at end of post.)
*You are such a people person! You love people and always want to be around them! This is fun most of the time. But also can backfire when somebody (sometimes even somebody who wasn't paying any attention to you and that you don't even know) walks away from you and you start to cry.
*Aside from moving around, your mouth has also developed a larger taste for foods! You no longer are happy while we are eating unless you have something in your mouth too. So, you snack on little puffs or yogurt melts or suck on a grape or other fruit through your net chewy thing. (Like my extensive vocabulary?) You still do not like any of the meats we've tried to feed you. However, you've loved every fruit and vegetable we have thrown your way! You love food and it shows in your sweet rolls! Maybe next month we will get to report on some new teeth! Maybe, but for now you enjoy gumming and drooling all over everything!
*You are an outdoor girl! You can be so fussy and temperamental inside the apartment, but the second we go for a walk or to the beach or something, you are happy. You love watching the movements of the trees in the breeze, splashing in the water and being in the wide openness away from our apartment.

I can't emphasize enough how much joy you bring to my life, Lydia. You are so sweet and lovable. Sometime you even let me cuddle with you. I love those moments. You help me enjoy the simple things in life. You are my little angel. I love you.

Love,
Momma

Giveaways and updates!

First off, I am entering yet another giveaway at this cute blog! They use vintage sheets to make all sorts of cute things! And I could really use some of the adorable fabric they're giving away! I have so many cute things I want to make for Lydia! I think I'm an addict to finding cute patterns and stuff! But I just don't have the money to buy all the supplies I want to in order to make it all! Why oh why does fabric have to be so expensive?!!!
Anyways, updates on the family! David is almost done with his first class of 2nd year! Hooray! He took a couple of tests this past week which he did very well on and then has his final on Friday. He actually got school off yesterday, today and tomorrow to study! How nice is that?!!! I think he'll do great!
Our little Lydia just keeps on growing and moving!!! She is now officially a crawler! Last week I was getting a little bit frustrated that she seems more interested in standing up and walking than moving around on all fours! So, I forced her onto her hands and knees and taught her the movements of crawling. Within a couple of minutes she started moving around on her own! Wow! Fast learner! She still likes to stand up (we've had to lower her crib because she's always pulling herself up!) and walking around while holding our fingers, but she does know how to crawl now. She's still not very fast (thank goodness!) and chooses to dig her head into the ground and whimper when she wants to be picked up. Oh well! I took a couple of videos of her, but they're on the camcorder which I don't know how to hook up to my computer. Once David is done studying for his test I'll bug him about it. So, we'll show you the evidence soon.

My Birthday + Fun Projects!

These past few days have been so wonderful for many reasons. First off, it was my birthday on Tuesday. I love getting up in the morning, checking my email and having 30 messages in my inbox from all my friends saying Happy Birthday on Facebook! It's such a good feeling! And then my Grandma Matthews also called, and my parents and siblings. Plus I got great things in the mail. I don't want to brag or anything. Its just that it's so great to have one time a year that all the people you love contact you in one way or another!
So, what did I do for my birthday, you might ask. Well, David did his best so that I wouldn't have to do all of the things that I normally do. Like letting me sleep in till 9 am rather than get up at 7:30 with Lydia. And do the dishes and clean the apartment. So, rather than me having to take care of Lydia all afternoon, I got to finally make this! Hooray! Now I have something cute to put all of those ugly grocery bags in! It definitely spices up my kitchen and adds a few more colors. I actually am looking at it as an inspiration to change my kitchen colors up a bit. Before it was just reds and yellows. But, I am eyeing those blues, greens and oranges and thinking that they would look so great accented throughout the kitchen to add a little bit of a pop! Well, not that my kitchen is so big and decorated that I get a chance to do much of that. But I can start small and slowly add to it by the time I have a decent size kitchen. That gets me so excited!

Next, David and I dropped Lydia off at a friends house (Thanks so much Stormie and Jer!!!) so that we could enjoy a quiet dinner date. We went to Fisherman's Wharf and enjoyed some fresh seafood on the bay. The service there was fantastic! The prices were better than a lot of the places I've been on the island. However, I wouldn't get the shrimp again. It was far too salty for my taste (and David's). However, the fish David got was excellent!

Then David and I went for a walk on The Strand (it's the historic downtown area of Galveston) and even popped into LaKing's for some chocolate. However, the prices at just about everywhere jump up during summertime because of tourist season. So, we didn't get much. But what we did get was amazing! Chocolate covered gummy bears! YUM!!! And, we found out from a friend who used to work there, everything is made in the upstairs of their store! Even the gummy bears! And, I might add that they are probably the best gummy bears I've ever tasted! If you're in the area, you'll have to give them a try. (I would suggest waiting till tourist season is over, however.) We also found the life-size chess board we had heard about. However, they no longer have the pieces there. Bummer! I hope they replace them soon!
After that, we went to pick up Lydia and our friends joined us for the newest Shrek at the IMAX theater in Moody Gardens. It is such a great movie! I loved the moral behind it and thought it was a great ending to the Shrek story. I must admit though, I wasn't sure it would be any good after seeing the 3rd movie. I thought that one was a bit lame. But, I was pleasantly surprised! It got several laughs from me and the desire to see it again. Highly recommended!
Once we got home from the movie and got Lydia to bed, David put away all manhood and watched Project Runway with me. If you haven't ever seen it and you enjoy Lifetime or Home & Garden Channel, I totally recommend it! I think that David even enjoyed watching it with me! (Don't let him know that I told you that!) It is so amusing to see how crazy these designers get with their clothes! I don't tend to agree with the judges on a lot of things, but it's interesting to see what other people find attractive.
And, that is how I enjoyed my birthday! It was a great day! And I have many more to come! (I'm still super young, you know!!!) Thank you to everyone who helped make it special!

Now, the other day I was at Hobby Lobby and they had the McCall's patterns for only 99 cents! Hooray! I went crazy! But, there was one pattern that I wanted so bad, I craved it! And it was gone! It totally broke my heart! So, I searched and searched on the internet and I found somebody who made a dress for their daughter's baby doll that was exactly like the pattern I wanted! So, using her pattern and one of Lydia's dresses, I created my own pattern to make the dress! I must say, I am so amazingly proud of myself! It turned out great! Except for the bloomers. I was only using leftover fabric and ended up skimping on the fabric for the bloomers. So, needless to say, they are a bit skimpy on Lydia. I'll have to tear them apart and figure out something else for the bottoms. But, here are the pictures anyways. I also made the hairbow using some tutorials I found online. I kinda took one idea from here and another from there to make the final production. I love how they turned out! There will be many more of these to come! They were so easy! And it will be even easier for the next ones because I'll already have the pattern made!



If you can't tell, the dress is reversible. I had a lot of fun making it, well along with a bit of stress figuring out those bloomers that didn't even turn out. But, the dress looks amazing!

And, just for kicks, I had to add in this picture of the little peeper! Almost everytime I go in to get her from a nap I find a cute little nose peeking out above her bumper looking for me!

Birthday? Whose birthday?!

I have been wanting a deep freezer for a while now. It always seems that I go to the store and look at all the wonderful freezer options, but then revert my mind to how full my freezer is. So, I told David that I wanted a deep freezer for my birthday.
Then, finally, the highly anticipated day came! We went to Sam's Club to get my deep freezer last night! Hooray! It was quite the challenge getting it into the car since we also had Lydia with us. We were debating returning it and making another trip out there this week without Lydia. We also thought about taking it out of all the packaging and just taking the freezer without any cushioning. However, in the end we put down both of the back seats, put Lydia's carseat on top of the folded seats and stretching the seatbelt around them till we were able to buckle it. It was quite the challenge! But, by doing this we were able to squeeze the freezer into the car and close the back. Though, the back window still was unable to close. Oh well. We made it!
However, I'm not quite sure who is more excited about this new addition! As soon as I opened it, Lydia squirmed in my arms and wanted to play in the freezer. So, I guess she has a new play scape until I finally plug it in!



And now I pose my question, whose birthday is it? I think Lydia likes my birthday present more than me and is gonna fight me for it! What do you think?

Give-a-ways!

So, today I am all about find all of the cute give-a-ways. So, everybody check this one out! It's way cute! You can also link to it from the button on the bottom right of my blog.

Snuggles

Lydia has recently gained more of an attachment to her Pooh. I have been setting it in her crib with her for quite a while now. However, lately if you walk in on her taking a nap, it will look somewhat like this.

How sweet! We took it with us to Grandma and Grandpa's this past weekend and she slept through the night for the first time there! Maybe this was the key all along!

Also, Lydia is gaining more strength in her arms, balance in her legs, and a desire to see everything that's going on! She doesn't crawl yet and is still rolling around slowly. But she is starting to pull herself up onto random items! She's done it on my pants, our bed, the couch, chairs and this box! Watch out! Here she comes!