New Knowledge

I just finished reading a book called The Narcissism Epidemic. Very informative, but I take it with a grain of salt. I do believe that we are creating a culture of entitlement and teaching our children that they are always the winner when sometimes they really are going to lose their basketball game. You can still help them feel validated for trying, but seriously, sometimes they will be on the losing team and that is okay. I think it helps them learn important lessons about the big bad real world. However, I do not feel that I am turning my child into a narcissistic little princess when I put a bib on her that says she is a little princess (no joke they cited this example). According to them, my very presence in the blogging world is also narcissistic. Dang.

Teeth

Halle got one. She didn't get the little bud till she was eleven months old, but her first tooth has finally arrived. I don't like this part of growing up. Halle was cranky, a constant river of drool flowed from her mouth, and most of all I hated seeing her in pain. Teethers don't work for her and I wish I could give her tylenol in an IV, but that is not really an option. The only thing that helped was to give her a wet washcloth. It was her constant companion during the teething process and probably will be for the next teething episode as well. I decided it needed a name. I called it Norman. One down, nineteen more to go.Thank you Norman.

dada

Halle has stopped saying mama. She calls me dada. She knows the sound of the key in the door and turbo crawls to the door and gets so excited to see her daddy. Yesterday Wes was watching Halle while I was getting ready for the day. He read books to her and took her outside, but my favorite part was when he sat down and painted her toe nails. Probably one of the sweetest things I have ever seen.Happy Father's Day.

Family Tree

Five Generations

How neat is it that we were able to get a picture five generations of the Ashman family line. Halle is pictured with her great great Grandma Ashman who just turned 100 this month! She is also with great Grandpa Ashman, Grandma Bell, and of course her Daddy.

Four GenerationsOn my side of the family we have four generations of Smith women. Halle is pictured with her great Grandma Smith, Grandma Nimer, and her Mommy. I am so glad we have these pictures to show her and to also remind her of the beautiful legacies the people in our family tree have left behind.

Five Faves

Some things I am obsessing over this week:Fave Piece of Clothing: Shabby Apple Dresses

Seriously, I want them all. They are adorable (not to mention they cover everything I need covered which is hard to do these days without an undershirt or some leggings). Click here and eat your heart out.

Fave Jam: Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait singing "Lucky"

Adorable song made even more adorable by my husband telling me he heard it and thought it was the perfect song for us. (Yeah, I said it, go dry heave if you must). Click here to listen to some sweet music. Fave Fabric/Paper/Patterns: Amy Butler Designs

It is times like these I really wish I could sew a straight line. She has the cutest patterns for pillows, purses, little girl clothes, etc. It looks so good I almost want to eat it. Click here to check out her website with all the patterns and fabrics.

Fave Home Decoration: Silhouettes

I am practicing making my own silhouettes or our family. Who knows, I may only get to Halle's, but she will definitely have one hanging in her room. They are classic! Click here if you want to learn how to make them yourself.

Fave Baked Good: Sweet Tooth Fairy Cucpcakes Don't they look like heaven? The best part is these babies are right here in Provo. I want to have some custom cupcakes made for Halle's birthday. They are absolutely gorgeous! Click here to see custom cupcakes The Sweet Tooth Fairy makes.

Look What I Found...

What a hunk.

Did you know that Wes titled this picture on his computer "doolyball"? (If you are a Bell you probably understand what he was saying)

Did you know Wes comes and shows me how tiny he has wrapped Halle's dirty diaper after he changes her?

Did you know Wes works on perfecting his Mickey Mouse impersonation to make Halle smile?

Did you know Wes saves pictures of rooms/furniture/paint colors that he likes on his computer for future reference?

Look what else I found when I walked in the bathroom the other day...

Spock.

Wes decided to try and style his hair like a Vulcan and I caught him. He claims he was doing it to come and show me and get me to laugh. I don't think we will ever know the truth.

Did you know I really love him?

Family Theme

Here we are halfway through the year and we are just deciding to have a family theme. Each year we have decided to pick something we want our family to focus on becoming better at.Better late then never.

This year (what's left of it anyway) we decided to focus on finding joy in the journey. The idea came about as we were sitting at a restaurant on a Friday night waiting to be seated at a table. Given fifteen to twenty minutes to wait, immediately the iphone came out and a chance to have fun together while waiting disappeared. This may seem dumb and insignificant, but it was kind of an a-ha! moment. President Thomas S. Monson said, "I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey--now. There is no tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today."

So many times we catch ourselves saying, "I'll be happy when..." and we have found that is really no way to live. We get so busy planning for certain time periods in our lives we forget to enjoy how simple our lives are right now, how cute Halle is with no teeth, how hard she tries to learn to stand up, and all the little moments we can turn into special memories. We're not saying we are trying to turn every second into something picture or video worthy, but there always is the possibility that something special is just around the corner if we are truly living in the moment. President Thomas S. Monson shared this story in one of his many talks on this subject: "I recently read the account of a man who, just after the passing of his wife, opened her dresser drawer and found there an item of clothing she had purchased when they visited the eastern part of the United States nine years earlier. She had not worn it but was saving it for a special occasion. Now, of course, that occasion would never come. In relating the experience to a friend, the husband said, 'Don't save something only for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion.' The friend later said those words changed her life. They helped her to cease putting off the things most important to her. Said she: 'Now I spend more time with my family. I use crystal glasses every day. I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket if I feel like it. The words 'someday' and 'one day' are fading from my vocabulary. Now I take time to call my relatives and closest friends. I've called old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I tell my family members how much I love them. I try not to delay or postpone anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special."

May we all live every day like it is a special occasion and find joy in the journey.

"We're having a heat wave...

...a tropical heat wave."

Well, it was actually a lot cooler in St. George then it usually is and it was definitely not tropical, but rather a desert in the middle of nowhere. However, it was the perfect weekend to take Halle swimming for the first time. Was there ever any doubt that she would love it? She does happen to love taking baths, so this was just an upgrade. She floated around in the escalade of baby pool floaters, sun shade and all. We heart SG.

Cowboys and Pirates

I won one of these!
Aren't they super cute? Little Lovie Baby Boutique does it again! My little nephew is going to be a little stud muffin in one of these! You could win one too. All you have to do is click here to enter the next giveaway happening this week. You should also check out the boutique's other stuff for boys and girls. You will probably say "how cute!" a thousand times.

I know I do.