Prom 2012

This year, my beautiful daughter, Caitlyn, got asked to prom. She didn't want to even tell me about it because she knew I would be so excited. She told me she wasn't going. With a ton of convincing, I managed to get her to commit to going. We went dress shopping at a place called Cinderella's Closet which is a place that loans dresses for a $10 cleaning fee. What a bargain! Caitlyn tried on about 9 dresses, and even though the first one wasn't even my favorite, I had to cry because it was one of those moments in a mother's life that we look forward to; our little girl's growing up.

 His name is Mark. He is a junior at Meridian High School. Caitlyn just met him at the Road Show a week before. He was a gentlemen and answered all of Uncle Rob's grilling questions (Brian had to work) including, "So, what's up with the way you asked her to prom?" It was something like, "So my first choice couldn't make it, do you want to go with me?" Nice!

 Caitlyn wasn't sure how to put on the boutinier, and I don't know how to spell it.

 When Mark came to pick her up, and saw her for the first time, he said, "Oh, you look beautiful." It melted my heart, and I had tears again. I wasn't expecting that to happen. 

 They went with several other couples and took pictures and then went to Louis Italian Restaurant where they all had pizza.

 The beautiful corsages. Caitlyn is 2nd from the right.

The whole gang. Caitlyn wouldn't tell me much about it, but I think she had fun. They had their picture taken by the Idaho Statesmen and was even published on Sunday.

I loved the whole experience and can't wait to do it again with the rest of my girls. 

YMCA Track Meet

The YMCA meet is an invitational track meet which includes athletes from all over the region. Brian took 5th in the 100 meter dash, 3rd in discus with 112 feet, and 2nd in shot with 39 feet.

Receiving his medals

and showing them off.

Next is districts.

A Young Woman, Finally.

It's hard to believe that Allie is 12. With that comes entrance into Young Women's. She has been waiting for so long. Wednesday after Wednesday, she has watched her sisters go off to mutual while she had to stay home. The girls would always come back home having had a great time, and Allie couldn't wait to be  a part of it. So happy birthday Allie, and welcome to Young Women's!

 Yummy root beer floats!

The Third Month

This month started off with the 2 month shots. My poor baby cried like I've never heard before, and I felt so bad. She didn't look much like herself for the rest of the night, and was very sad and wanted to cuddle. She had 5 vaccines that day.

 My happy girl. She loves being on her changing table. She always smiles at me. We start off our morning with breakfast, then we get a diaper change and are "naked baby" for a few minutes. Then we brush our gums, (her favorite part) then wash our face, and hands, then we get dressed. I usually sing "You Are My Sunshine" which she loves.

 My sweet punkin all cute in her "mom jeans"

 This has to be one of my favorites. Allie picked out this outfit from the second hand store, and it just fits her so well. She was so smiley.

 Princess of the hair bows this month. Looking sad in her swing while mommy snaps more pictures.

This month she finally started sleeping at night. To my surprise, one night she slept 3 hours, then a few days later she would sleep 4 hours. Eventually I put her to bed around 10:30 and she would get up around 3:30 or 4 to eat, then back to sleep. After that she'd sleep 3 more hours then be up again. One time she slept 7 hours in one night. I woke up and checked to make sure she was still breathing. We discovered that she liked to be wrapped like a burrito all snug as a bug in a rug. Thank heaven's for Halo's swaddle sleep sack! Now daddy doesn't have to get up at the 5 o'clock hour to help mommy anymore.

Here she is in her Halo swaddle sack taking a nap. This is how she looked when I put her down for her nap. (above) She didn't want the binky.... I went to check on her later and she had wiggled her hand out and was sucking on her fingers. (below) I don't know how she gets out of it because I wrap her super snug and it has velcro to keep it secure. I guess the need to suck makes her strong.

We took Olivia to Kathryn Albertson's Park and went on a nice walk. The geese were sitting on their eggs, and we even saw 3 mule deer. Of course Olivia slept through most of it.

 Like mother, like daughter. I had been dying to paint her toenails, and finally did it. Next time I will wait until she is asleep. It was like trying to shoot at a very quick moving target. 

Overall it was a great month. She is starting to interact with us a lot more, and make more noises. It's been a lot of fun.

Olivia's First Easter

We had gotten this giant basket a few months ago, and I knew I had to turn it into some sort of photo shoot. Then the idea to make it into a large Easter basket with Olivia being the sleeping Easter Bunny came to mind and I couldn't resist. We warmed up the house, and got her all sleepy, then I started shooting my very first "photo shoot." I tried to copy my sis in law, Cheri. I think they turned out pretty good for a novice.

 Easter morning, all ready for church, holding the egg I colored for her.

 All my beautiful children after church. I am such a proud momma.

We

Track and Field Star

In his first track meet of 8th grade, Brian took home 1st in disc, 2nd in shot put, and his medley team also took 1st.  He through the disc 111 ft, and shot 36 ft 1 inch. Great Job, B!

Idaho State Cheer and Dance Competition 2012

March 17, 2012 MHS cheerleaders competed in the state championship and took home 2nd in Sideline,  4th in pom, and 6th in show, respectively. Overall they were 3rd in the state for the 5A division. We are so proud of their hard work throughout the year!

The Second Month

One of Olivia's favorite things is taking a shower with her dad.

During the day, she likes to play on her mat and stare off into space. She actually rolled over at 5 weeks old when we had her on her stomach for tummy time. It was an accident, but she kept doing it.

 Here is my favorite outfit. She looks so pretty in this color.  I love the look on her face.

She finally started to like being in her swing, but only for about 15 minutes at a time. That gave me just enough time to get some breakfast in before she would start to cry.

She smiled at me for the first time on March 12, just shy of being 2 months old. This made all the sleepless nights all worth it.

Caitlyn's Sweet 16

For Caitlyn's sweet 16, we wanted to do something special. We did not tell her any of our plans, but we picked her up from cheer in a limo with her friends Sahara, Lexi and Cheryl already inside. We took them to dinner, then dessert, then to a movie: The Vow. 

 After the movie, we came back to the house for raspberry cheesecake blizzard cake from Dairy Queen and opened presents. I think she was very surprised, and had a great time.

 I can't believe she is 16 already. Where does the time go?

Olivia's Blessing Day

March 4, 2012 we were fortunate to have our little Olivia blessed. It was a beautiful blessing given by her dad, and even her big brother Brian was in the circle, holding the microphone. I was worried she would cry or grunt through the whole thing, but she did very well, and stayed nice and quiet, listening to all the blessings from her Heavenly Father.

 The Priesthood that stood in the circle were, Grandpa Paul Arnett, Grandpa Jim Owings, Brian Owings, Great Grandpa Chet Abbott, Uncle Chris Steed, and friend Johnny Bergloff. We are thankful for the Priesthood power in our lives.

 Our little family

 So many family members came out to share Olivia's special day.

 Great Grandpa and Grandma Abbott came all the way from San Diego, California to meet Olivia, and be there for her blessing.

 Happy parents!

Mom for a Weekend

For her parenting and child development class, Caitlyn had to bring home an electronic baby. This baby required constant care. She had to wear a bracelet and whenever the baby would cry, she would have to swipe the bracelet over the baby so it could recognize that she was responding to the babies needs. She never knew if the baby was hungry, needed a diaper change, needed burping, or was just fussy. This baby cried, cooed, made noised when it ate, and even burped. He came with his own car seat and diaper bag too. Her first night was so funny because every time she would try to do something the baby would cry. Her baby, and Olivia were on the same schedule. One would cry, and the other would join in. One would eat, and the other had to eat too. She got so frustrated with him. Caitlyn had to wake up in the middle of the night and take care of the baby, and had to take it with her if she went somewhere.  She even had to take him to church which she ended up spending all her time out in the foyer. I think it really made her appreciate all the hard work it takes to take care of a baby. 

 Olivia and Landon

 Me playing grandma! Thank goodness I have awhile before I will really be a grandma.