Never thought I would ever be, a busy mom chasing after three…

Last week we had a suprise visit from Santa! Abby was very interested in Santa!!!!! It was lots of fun!!!

Merry Christmas to all!! I absolutley love the Christmas season! Just the energy in the air is wonderful. And despite my So Cal upbrining, I love the cold brisk air and the snow on the mountains. Especially since the majority of the time I am inside my warm house!!!! We have had so much fun these last couple of weeks decorating our new house. I was finally able to get a pretty tall tree because of the vault in the ceiling. Its about 10 1/2 feet and looks just beautiful! We also put some lights on the outside of the house. Scott did such a great job putting them up. They are perfectly straight just like I like it! I was able to get our Christmas cards out this year which was a great accomplishment. You may be asking why I don't have a family picture on it and that is because we don't have any since abby was 6 months old. Much of our Family hasn't ever seen her so we wanted to make sure that we had an updated picture of her.

We have had such a great year! Its just crazy to think of what abby was like last christmas. She didn't hardly move back then! And nowat 14 months, she has such an active feisty personality. Everytime I start to complain about her getting into eveything I remember that there was a time we didn't even know if she would ever be able to walk and that shuts me up really fast!!! And now she is a pro!! We feel so blessed to have Abby in our lives. She brings so much joy to everyday, and she is so Healthy and Strong. She endured her surgery earlier this year so well and is certainly an example to all of us! She is doing so many fun things. She is just so excited about all the little things in life. She gasps all the time. Everytime we walk down a new isle at the store she lets out a big gasp like she is just amazed. Everyone thinks she is so funny!!! She is talking like crazy. She can even put two words together at times. She will say "Wheres Dad?" And put her hands to the side like she is asking the question. She says Hi to everyone and of course when she is upset its "Mamamamamamama". When you ask her a question she gives you a very exasgerated nod of the head to say yes and she Dances anytime anytype of music comes on! She is no longer a baby but I just love having the company and friendship of my little girl.

Scott is doing well in school and just really excited to be almost done with his masters degree (that makes two of us!) He has been working so hard to maintain his grades while making a good impression at his new job, and he seems to be doing that quite well. He is enjoying his job more and more everyday but can't wait until he has no more school and can focus more other things when he gets home from work. He has served in the Young mens for almost 4 years now. They really like him and he enjoys his calling even though it makes him super busy along with everything else. His favorite past time is playing games with Abby and teaching her new things. Even though he has so much going on he is still such a great Dad and wonderful Husband and we really appreciate all that he does for us!

I am just loving life! I try to keep myself busy with project after project and I just love to learn new things. I have been spending a lot of time trying to get caught up on Abby's scrapbook so I don't get too far behind. I also have enjoyed crocheting blankets and making magnet boards for people. I am also in Young Womens which keeps me really busy and involved at church. I love my new house. It has been so fun to have our own place to call home. We are really excited to get our yard put in next year just in time for abby to enjoy it! Abby keeps me an my toes and I really enjoy chasing her around all day!

We are so grateful for the support that we have been given by our friends and family this year. We hope that all is well with everyone during this holiday season and that your year has been just as happy and fullfilling as ours has! Merry Christmas!

At the request of Abby's favorite Aunt I thought I would talk about my wonderful sister and friend. I am so lucky that I have a sister that loves my daughter as much as I do! She really is so good with her and she is so patient when abby is being crabby and only wants her mom. We have been so lucky to have Katie come stay with us for a while and its so great to have another person to entertain my ever so busy daughter! There are things about Abby that remind me so much of Katie when she was little. Like how every time I put a clip in Abby's hair she looks right at me and rips it out! That is so something Katie would do! Abby's hair is always in her eyes just like katies was. And boy is that little girl ever fighsty!!!!!

This last time when I went down to California my sister came to me and said " I can't wait until Abby will say " Aunt Katie can I sleep in your room tonight. " She was so excited! I informed her that by the time Abby could say that she will off married and have no interest in Abby sleeping in her room. But Katie didn't give up. The whole time I was there it was like all she talked about. "Wouldnt' that be soon fun" " I am going to be the COOL Aunt!" Well the night before we came home Katie took Abby up to put her in bed. And then she never returned! So I went up to check on her and sure enough Katie and Abby were asleep in my bed! Besides the fact that she accomplished a complete miracle in getting Abby to cuddle, it was so sweet to see them there.

Katie really is the best Aunt and Sister that anyone could ever ask for!

I really am terrible at this aren't I! Really its the whole picture thing that overwhelms me! Well so much has gone on in the last couple of weeks. Halloween was soooo much fun! We were able to track down a pumpkin patch so we could find the perfect pumpkins! There was even a corn maze! It was so much fun! Abby was such a doll and made the best strawberry ever! She hasn't really ever had candy before so when we came home she was in heaven! She sat in front of her basket and would bite on the candy with the wrapper still on, and then all the sudden you would here a Mmmmmmm sound, when she finally broke through the wrapper! It was so funny! It was really cold but other than that the weather was actually not too bad. We were sad because our road is being worked on and we didn't get many trick or treaters. So we have a ton of left over candy plus all of Abbys! the Picture of Abby in my mom's studio was taken during the peak of Abby's fever so if she doesn't look like herself that is because she is way sick!

Going home last week was really fun. It was actually a lot more relaxed than usual which was really nice. Abby adjusted better this time and did quite well with her sleeping and overall schedule. Joyce's wedding day went quite well! The sealing was beautiful and it was so nice to spend time with friends. She had her reception/ring ceremony on a river boat which was really quite fun! Except for when Joyces mom freaked out on me for bringing Abby! As I was getting on the boat she looked at me and said "you shouldn't have brought her!" It was so upsetting and of course I started crying! It suckS when someone says something about your child! I couldn't believe that she had such nerve especially since I had asked Joyce if it was okay ahead of time. And really I didn't want to bring her but I didn't know what else to do given the situation! So that made the rest of the night even more difficult. Joyce's mom doesn't even know me or my family so I really shouldn't have expected much more but I did and it was hard! Joyce looked so beautiful and overall the day was really nice!

Abby was really sick toward the end of our trip. This is the first time she has ever been sick so I am not complaining, but it really sucks! She had a fever and runny nose. She still has the cold symptoms but the fever is gone whicH is a lot less frightening! She was really hard on the plane ride home. But I was sitting next to Heather who had missed her flight the night before and got bumped to mine. It was so nice to be next to someone who could help entertain my active little girl!

Speaking of Abby she has been doing so many fun things lately! The other day she pointed to the picture above our fireplace of our whole family and said "DAD"! It was soooo funny! And now whenever I say "where is dad" she points to the picture! Even if he is in the room! I don't think it makes him to happy but I think it is so cute! Also, whenever I see a Kitty on one of her baby einstien movies I make this certain motion with my hands, kind of like I am rubbing something between my fingers. My mom has always done this so I did it too. Well we were watching a movie and a cat came on and she did the motion all be her self! It was so cute to see her copying something that I do with her little hands! And I didn't even prompt her, she did it all on her own! It was adorable! She is also able to hold her finger up when you ask her how old she is, and when you say "who is the pretty girl?" she raises her hand. I might be creating a monster but its so fun to see her grow and progress. I loved having a little baby but I am having so much fun with my little girl! She is walking really well now except for when she has her special shoes on. Her foot doctor decided to give her an orthodic to put in a special shoe that is supposed to help her walk normal. The funny thing is she walks great without the shoes and when she has the shoes on she hardly walks at all! But we are trying to keep up on the shoe thing and hopefully she will get more comfortable over time.

I am so excited for Christmas time! I can't wait to spend our first Christmas in our new home! I am a little nervous however about keeping abby away from the Christmas tree! She is so busy and I know she is going to want to get into it all the time! And I have made the mistake of having all blown glass ornaments so we will see how many survive our first Christmas with a toddler! I just love the whole season and am so excited for it to come!

Well I better get started on dinner! Talk to you all soon!

I am really such a looser! So sorry to not post! I just dread putting the pictures on. So hence the no pictures on this post! I will attach some later! I have had so many thoughts going through my head lately. I just really can't help but think of where we were a year ago and there are so many emotions associated with that time of our life. There were really times that I didn't not think that abby was going to make it to her first birthday let alone with so much health and energy. You would never know now that we were worried about her even living a couple days when she was born! Or that when we brought her home we could pretty much only move in a four foot radius because she was attached to so many machines. I remember the first time we were free of those machines when she was 3 months old. It felt so good to be able to move around freely in our home and actually be able to take her to places she had never been before. Wow have we ever come far!

What a blessing this past year has been. Abby has taught me so much enduring through the difficult times and having faith. When abby was three months old we found out that she had hip dysplasia and that she would have to wear a brace 24 hours a day or else she may never be able to support her weight on her hip and possibly walk with a limp for the rest of her life. I couldn't help but think at the time of what she must be thinking! "My Crazy parents, what do they have me hooked up to this time!" It was so hard to limit the mobility of a baby that had just learned to roll over and I knew that she so badly wanted to move around and progress, but we did what we were supposed to, we kept her in the stupid brace and Abby spent a month and a half on her back all the time! But we were blessed for our obedience! She had to wear the brace much less time than they thought she would!

Also at three months we went to our first appointment regarding Abby's foot condition. We learned that though consmetically displeasing, the condition could have been much worse. Giantism most often occurs on the hands and often on all one side of the body including the face. Our Doctor said that Abby's situation was a best case sernario type of a thing and that we were truely blessed. We looked around at the other children at the hospital and were so grateful that though difficult, we would be able to work through Abby's birth defect and that it shouldn't keep her from doing most things that little kids want to do! Except for maybe being a foot model of course! She handled the surgery perfectly! She was so strong and just lugged that cast right along with her as if it wasn't even there! Abby is such an example to me!
Her personality really has emerged over the past few months and though frustrating at times I really do just love everything about how stubborn and determined she is. She has so much curiosity and tends to be very independent and quite controlling! I don't know who she gets that from!

I have really been so grateful to be able to stay home with abby and become so close with her. Its such a blessing and I can't imagine it any other way! She is my little friend as I like to say "we hang out" All the time! I love that she goes where I go and she likes to do what I like to do (SHOP)!

She is now walking a ton! But isn't quite pro yet, she just barely bonked her head on our hearth and has a goosegg the size of a baseball on her forehead! But she is learning, and learning fast! Its so fun to watch her toddle around to get where she wants to go.

How can I talk about the past year without mentioning my beautiful home! We moved in back in May and I have loved every second of it! I am so grateful For my wonderful husband and all the had work he put in so that we could have the home we wanted! All while going to school , working in Young Mens, and working full time! I look back and don't know how he did it all! He is amazing! I really appreciate him so much! I love how we have become such great friends and that instead of fancy dinners, our dates consist of getting take out and eating it at home in our PJ's! I really enjoy him and our realtionship so much! Having a baby definately changes things but it really helps put things in perspective! Scott is so good to me and so handsome! I absolutely adore him! Thanks for Everything Hunny! You are the greatest!

Thanks for listening to me vent about the wonderful things in life! Like I said this time last year we thought abby was in kidney failure so everything on top of that, though sometimes difficult and sometimes wonderful has just been icing on the cake and I wouldn't change a thing!

What a fun week! We just got back from California! It was crazy busy as usual but we had a lot of fun! We had Abby's party on Thursday. She doesn't turn one for another week but we celebrated a little early with my family and some great friends! It was so much fun. It was a Polka dot theme and we had each of the little kids take a picture with balls. It was really hectic and way cute! Abby had such a fun time delving into her cake. I think that had we let her she would have been there all day. I can't believe that my little girl is turning one! Its weird because over the last couple of weeks we have made a little transition. I don't feel so much like I am babysitting anymore. She has gotten really easy to take care of and so much fun to be around. I really enjoy her fisty personality. She has so much energy! I just love how much she enjoys her surroundings!

So get this... my beautiful friend Nicki was at Abby's party and she looked ready to have her baby! She wasn't due for 5 more days but she looked like it was time. And then we got a phone call after she left the party.... She had gone into labor on her way home! Isn't that crazy! I was so excited, we went right over to see her! Nicki and I have been through so much together. We have been best friends for like 17 years. It was so wonderful to see her as a mother. Her baby is just gorgeous! And I just know that Nicki is going to be the best mother to her little Sadie! And I can't wait to see her again in a couple of weeks.
We also took Joyces wedding pictures when I was down. That was so much fun! Joyce looked incredible and I am so excited that she is getting married! She is The last one in our group of friends and I realized as I was helping her into her dress that I have helped everyone of them into their wedding dress. With Heather I was with her when she picked out her dress, with Jen I was her escort in the temple, with Nicki we were hiding behind a block wall in the freezing cold before her pictures and with Joyce we were behind a sheet before her pictures. All under different circumstances but what a blessing to be able to share that with each of them. I have such great friends.
We had such a good time with our families but our certainly happy to be home to our boring life! Thank you so much for each of you that shared Abbys pary with us! It was sooo fun! And Congrats Nick!

Has anyone ever wanted to bang their teeth out with a hammer? Or maybe scratch their gums with their wedding ring? Probably not! That would probably be just me because I have the worse teeth problems in the whole world. I have really had these crazy thoughts before! I am on some pretty heavy medication but try to be a good mom while heavily drugged! It doesn't work very well. Thank goodness for Baby Einstein movies! The good news is I am going to the denist today. Not that they can do anything, this problem seem to be a mystery and there is never much they can do except for wait it out so we will have to see.
Abby continues to excell in her walking. We had 6 steps just Sunday and it seems like she is getting more comfortable in her balance. I really am excited to seem my cute baby walk. She gets so excited when she is doing it. Its almost like she wants to skip the walking part and go straight to running. Its so cute! I can't believe that a year ago I was as big as a cow waiting for this baby to come and change my life forever. I can't remember what my life was like with out her. I was telling scott the other day that I have only been away from her for a few hours at a time. She is always with me. Its so fun to have a little friend that is always there for you. Being a mom is so much harder and way better than I ever expected! And I wouldn't change a thing about it! Well I better go try to be some what productive even though I feel like my head is about to fall off!

Abby took her first steps yesterday! Is this something I really want? Isn't that interesting with the milestones in your kids life. You are so excited that they are doing something new and you are shouting it from the roof tops. But these milestones tend to make our lives way more complicated. Like when they first roll over, you are cheering them on, demonstrating to them how to do it and putting toys just out of reach to see if they will roll to it. You are so excited! But then all the sudden they are stuck on their tummy and screeming at you or they are pushed up side ways on to your entertainment center in a position that cannont be comfortable. Crawling is an even bigger convinance! Can you belive that I encouraged her to move around my house freely, able to get into everything in sight so she can manage to get hurt on just about everything. But the intersting thing is I think that even if I did not encourage these things she would probably just do them anyway. Children are so smart and always trying to learn to do new things. Especially as Abby has endured both braces and a cast for about 2 months of her life we wonder at how she has just adapted so well and she doesn't really seem to have been held back from any of it. She is such an example to me of what we should be like when we are overcoming the obstacles in life. She just works around it, and has a cheerful attitude in the meantime. I love that little girl! And I love that she is taking her first steps. Despite the challenges it will bring with it! We still have some balance issues to work out but its inevitable, she is going to be walking here pretty quick! Ready or Not, here she comes!

they wouldn't all fit on the last one so here ya go

So I promised pictures of Abby's cute walker and here they are! Most of the time she really loves it, except for when she is being especially stubborn. But here she is modeling it for you Kelli so you can see if you think it would be good for Davis. We especially love the blocks that come inside. Scott and I sit accross the room from each other and take turns trying to throw them in to a small basket and have contests to see who can get the most in. It sounds dumb but it is actually quite entertaining.
The other day I got on a picture taking kick and decided to take pictures of Abby's cute room for her Scrapbook! Abby's room is definately my favorite room in the house, I could just hang out there all day! My mom helped me so much with the painting and even made the bedding for me. Abby loves playing with all of her books ( I am currently working on improving that collection) and she pretty much tears them out of her book case every day. I think that its a sign that she will be extra smart! The lighting in Abby's room is so good that I also decided to take a picture of her foot post-surgery. We are very happy with the results and are anxious to see what the next step will be next month. But She can now wear shoes which I am of course thrilled about, but Scott might not be so much. I still have to buy two different sizes so it can be hard on the budget! But we are mostly just thrilled that Abby went through the surgery with no complications and seemed to handle it all really well! It seemed as though it was much harder on us (especially Scott with his passing out) then it was on her. And I would defiantely prefer it that way. We know that it is the thoughts, prayers and fasting of family that kept Abby safe and without pain. We just pray that as she continues to grow it will continue to not be too much of an obstacle in her life.
Well today is just going to be another ordinary day. The test will be if I actually excerise because I am so sore from yesterday! I am going to help one of my young women make a magnet board so she can display it for evening in excellence. She is a real sweet heart and I am always happy to help her! Especially with a magnet board! I love making those! Well I am going to go play with my little girl before she gets tired again!

So, I have been following Kelli's blog for a while now and thought that I might give it a try. I only hope I can have half as many witty and wonderful things to say as she does! But I thought this might be a good way for people to keep track of what is going on in our life and hear about all the fun things Abby is doing!
We are doing well here in Utah, we moved into our new home in the beginning of May and we are all just loving it! Its a nice change from living in a small basement apartment for over 3 years! But we will always be greatful to Brent and JoAnne (my inlaws) for letting us stay there until we could afford a house. We are currently trying to get our yard in and that is sooooo much work! But hopefully well worth it next summer! Scott is enjoying his new job and we are all enjoying the different perks that come with it.
My brother Allen is living with us right now which has been fun. Its nice to have a little bit of extra help with Abby during the day. I can actually go to the bathroom when I need to rather then waiting for abby's next nap! Which she is in the middle of right now, so I better go if I want to get anything at all done today!