say yes

"whenever possible say yes, they are only kids once!" --marjorie pay hinckley

my explanation for halle's pant-less and sometimes clothes-less existence.

some unusual favorites

favorite mess to clean up: halle's bookshelf. i love picking up all her books after she has had a nice long reading session.

favorite thing about wes being out of town: he orders movies from netflix to come in the mail while he is away. halle was overjoyed to fine "a bug's life" in our mailbox. this trip we are waiting for "cars."

favorite thing about a huge belly: we get to talk about how wes and i create dinosaur children. i blame wes. seriously, just look at halle.

favorite thing about halle sleeping in my bed: she has to be right next to me always. example: last night i was laying on my side she scooted up to my back, cuddled in, put her leg over my hip, and her head on top of my head. she was literally asleep on the side of my face.

favorite thing about potty training: halle thinks she is potty trained. she has told me so. the potty does not agree because really she has only used it once.

favorite mean thing halle says to me: "you're not the mean sister?" yes, the evil step sister from cinderella. anytime i am stern with her she asks "you're not mean?" but my favorite day was the day she called me the mean sister.

oh he's great

but you already knew that.

and so did i.

but now it is busy season.

our first busy season.

so we're new to this whole thing and how it actually plays out.

i mean they tell you he is going to be working all the time, but do they really mean it?

here is how it goes.

wes is out the door for work before 7:30 most mornings.

most of the time halle and i aren't awake.

he comes home about 10:00 each night.

halle is usually asleep and i am barely coherent.

he puts her in her crib.

he gets ready for bed

he holds me for a few minutes while we talk about the essentials of the day.

we pray.

lights out.

he's off to sleep so he can get up and do it all over again.

did i mention he is still smiling?

two more months of this.

one day at a time right?

did i tell you he passed all of his cpa exams?

with flying colors.

now all he needs is to log 2,000 hours of work and we'll be able to call him a CPA for reals.

and considering how busy season is going that shouldn't be too hard.

all this makes it possible for me to stay home with Halle and eat junk food.

bless his tired heart and overworked mind.

iphone photos

Wow, this is the first time I have downloaded my iphone photos onto our computer since Wes bought it for me. I caught some sweet and silly moments with this little camera when I didn't have my digital camera handy and wanted to make sure I documented them.

Remember once upon a time she was just a little baby

First snow suit

She loves to play with her buddy Easton

The one time she let me do her hair. She pulled it out right after I took a picture.

Watering Grandpa's flowers

Tea time with Wade

Fairy wings

A big girl hair cut from Stacie

First day of joy school

The day she decided to dress herself for joy school

Making a new friend at the Disney store Halloween party

Playing Sleeping Beauty outside. This is the moment when she has touched the spindle and has fallen into a deep sleep and her crown has fallen off her head

Dressing up like Lady Gaga

She calls herself "pokerface."

Cousins

Dressed up with Uncle Ryan's old teddy bear cape.

Chocolate face

What would we do without cameras?

christmas morning 2010

Can you believe I was the one awake in the middle of the night because I was so excited for Halle to see what Santa had brought? Christmas is so magical with little ones. Halle came down the stairs to see Rapunzel's castle. She calls it the tallest tower. She loved it and knew that a Rapunzel doll wouldn't be too far away.

Every time we asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her this year she would say "princess dolls." Well Santa delivered. She was so excited she wanted them all out right away to play in her tallest tower. We could have stopped there because she didn't want to open any more presents she just wanted to play. It was a dream come true.

This is her saying "it's all the princesses!" right after she opened it.

She loves to play doctor and pretend her patients hurt their arms at nursery.

Why nursery you ask? Let's just not even talk about that one time a few weeks ago her nursery leader brought her to me during church and I found out she was crying because she couldn't move her arm, because somehow she had dislocated her arm at the elbow in nursery. Obviously it was very traumatic for all of us which is why she likes to play out the real life scene in the ER over and over when the doctor fixed her arm.

I performed a Christmas miracle and found her a Rapunzel nightgown in her size that was sold out everywhere online and at the Disney store. I kept calling and calling the Disney store until they had one in her size. She loved it and wanted it on right away.

She was so spoiled by both sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles. I can already tell this winter is going to be a fun one cooped up inside the house with all her fun toys including a kitchen from the Bells.

Halle also enjoyed Jake's gifts.

We are a little short on the pictures this year because I really hated being stuck behind the lens while she opened and enjoyed all her gifts so I put the camera away. So I just got to sit and soak up all the Christmas joy, which I may regret later, but for now I am okay with it.

Thank you to all our wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who made this little girl's Christmas special and spoiled all of us with so many nice gifts.