changes

there are some pretty big changes coming in our family. and we couldn't be happier about it.

jd had been trying to figure out what to do with his life since this happened. it's been almost 2 years since he graduated and he couldn't decided what he wanted to do. he researched a million different careers and options, thought about going back to school, etc., and searched and applied for many, many jobs. we were beyond frustrated and confused. we were trying to follow the Lord's will, but weren't sure what that was.

finally, jd got a call from fidelity investments. he had 2 phone interviews and then one in person. we were both SO stressed about it because we are both worriers. luckily, we only had to wait about a day to hear back from them. jd did so well in his interview they ranked him outstanding out of everyone they interviewed. all his hard work and preparation paid off. now we just have to wait for him to start. he was been busy with background checks, credit checks, fingerprinting, etc.

he starts may 9th, and it can't come soon enough. we are super excited because the job comes with awesome benefits, which means i don't have to have them through my work anymore. this means the next time we have a baby it will cost us $20 out of pocket, instead of the $2,000+ that sophie cost. yep. am i crazy for being so excited about that? also, since i don't have to be eligible for benefits anymore (and i'm losing a babysitter when my sister has her baby) i'm only going to be working 2 days a week. jd will be working 4 10's so he will still get to spend a day with sophie, which he loves. i cannot wait to be home with sophie more and spend some quality time with her! we just got a cherry hill pass and we can't wait for it to be nice out so we can hang out there.

we are so grateful for this job and for the Lord knowing what is best for us. waiting turned out to be well worth it. i guess i did learn my lesson a little bit last time!

big girl sophie

my big girl is 15 months old.

she went to the doctor for her check up and it was a rough one.

she got her hemoglobin tested, had to get 3 huge vials of blood drawn to test for food allergies, and 2 shots. yikes. i think she was traumatized after the last time she went when she had croup. she just started crying when she saw the doctor with the stethoscope. after she opened her sucker and got in the car, she was just fine. the good news is she is healthy (no ear infections this time, yay!) and is growing great!

even though she pretty much only eats fruit and cheese, she's grown a lot.

height: 29.65 inches - 24%

weight: 20 lbs 1 oz - 10%

head: 44.6 cm - 15%

loves the baby stroller

she has a new love for baby swings, apparently.

her first easter peep.

she didn't like it.

marshmallow and sugar....what's not to love?

she at least gave it a kiss though.

grandma made her play dough.

and she only tasted it about a dozen times.

and she probably will again next time.

feeding herself marshmallows.

first pigtails.

they only lasted about 5 minutes, but we're working on it.

soph and emi both had pigtails.

sophie's on top and emi's in the back.

still loving her animals.

she takes at least 4 to bed with her every night.

she has to have her "mew" (kitty), puppy, "montey" (monkey), and owl.

she hates me to wipe her nose, but loves to do it herself.

she loves to open the wipes, pull as many as she can out before i notice, and tell me, "nose, nose".

and she loves doing her own hair.

this particular day was with strawberry hands. yum.

she also loves to have "pretties" in her hair.

love you big girl!

cabin weekend

we went up to the cabin for conference weekend.

it is still very much winter in bennington, idaho.

and it was COLD.

we (meaning jd) had to shovel a path from the car to the house just to get in.

and then another to get out sunday.

we just relaxed and watched conference.

jd REALLY wanted me to shoot the black powder gun.

he's showing me how to do it.

he wanted me to more than i wanted me to.

even grandma kitchen did it!

poured in the powder and jamming the lead ball in.

like this?

oops, i pulled the trigger before i was really ready. it scared me. my ears were ringing for a half hour. soph found this baby swing and thought it was super fun. she kept wanting to get in and saying "weeee". she loved coloring with aunt katie. in fact, she colored all over herself with a pen. neck, eyebrows, arms, etc. then, she took her baby for a ride. she is such a funny girl and LOVES to be the center of attention.

i'm ready for warm weather, the boat, and bear lake next time we go up there.

ps...anyone know what is up with blogger and the funky spacing? my last few posts have all had weird spacing and it won't let me fix it. any ideas?

27 years

he's been around for 27 years.

for his birthday we ate dinner at sonora grill in odgen.

taquitos and flautas. delicious.

and i made this yummy chocolate peanut butter cake.

and he got this to take hiking. he also got donuts from beyong glaze (amazing!), season 1 of the middle, some new shorts and a shirt. pretty exciting? you bet! i'm so glad i got to celebrate with him. and, i'm so glad that we get to celebrate EVERY birthday together. love you, jd!

what it's all about

sophie is pretty much what it's all about.

need proof?

the cheesy smile.

in her new owl chair.

she LOVES it.

she climbs in and says, "rocky, rocky, rocky"

when we brought it home, she grabbed her bunny and her book and climbed right in.

london and soph love playing together. especially in sophie's new favorite toy. the giant cardboard box. see, she loves it. she is such an animal lover. she snuggles two animals when she goes to bed at night. i love her arms wrapped around her kitty. she loves bubble baths. or baths in general. lately she won't get out, even when we let the water out. she just slides around the tub like a fish. we are so glad we are able to spend more time outside. sophie loves to be outside. she stands at the door and says "outdide". one again, with the animals. she doesn't like to get out of her crib in the morning. she just wants you to watch her play. and she likes to have ALL her animals. march snow storm. she wanted to go out, but only has a baby snowsuit, not suitable for walking. which she found out. she would NOT let me help her. about 30 seconds after this picture she slipped and hit her head on the driveway. poor girl. she had a nice bump to show for it. sophie's first car. she loves this thing. and she loves daddy to push her around. actually, she just loves daddy and anything he does with her. first ride in her new car. a little accident prone. she was trying to move the shopping cart and she fell in this basket. and got stuck. she didn't think it was funny. i did. don't worry, i ran to get the camera and take a picture before i helped her out. i cannot possibly keep up with all the words that she is saying. she says a few new words every day. and, pretty much anything you tell her to say, she will. from what i can remember, she says: nite nite, morning, daddy, mommy, emi, heidi, katie, kelsie, pa pa, ma ma, outside, puppy, kitty, bunny, zebra, turtle, froggy, bear, birdy, owl, fish, ball, shoe, cheerios, berries, banana, cheese, please, thank you, meow, woof, hop hop, up, out, off, on, open, eyes, nose, no, yes, book, brush, comb, blankie, bed, elmo, big bird, minnie, two, hat, yummy, yucky, peas, and probably a ton more. we love her, and she IS what we are all about!