10 Months

I can't believe my girls are 10 months old today! They just keep getting more and more fun. This last month, we were able to go spend a little over a week at my mom and dad's house in Utah! It's so nice to be able to take trips down there. It's hard being away from Chad, but it's nice to spend some time with my family! We were also able to celebrate their first Halloween! We didn't go trick-or-treating, but we dressed them up all cute and took them to Chad's sister's house for pizza and to see cousin Adi. 

10 Months

(7 months adjusted)

Avery

• So sweet to everyone but Harper. She is kind of a bully. Multiple times a day I'll have to separate the two of them because Harper is screaming while Avery is pulling her hair/stealing her toys/grabbing Harper's head and trying to eat it, you know, the usual. I know I shouldn't think it's funny, but it seriously cracks me up. Below are some examples...

• Really close to crawling. She pivots/scoots/rolls everywhere
• Loves to eat solids/hates bottles. It's a chore to get her to eat her bottles
• Definitely likes the sound of her own voice. She's constantly babbling, making playful screaming noises (which are super high-pitched and extra adorable), trying to talk to me. She loves it when I babble back at her
• Loves all toys - doesn't have any favorites in particular
• Super smiley, but is getting really shy. If she's in an unfamiliar place, she gets really clingy.
• Has figured out if she sticks out her lower lip, she can get pretty much whatever she wants. She knows how to tug on my heartstrings, that's for sure
• Definitely a mama's girl
• Still no teeth

 First itty bitty ponytail! I die.

I put a burp cloth on her head and seriously laughed for like five minutes. For some reason, it was absolutely hilarious to me haha

Harper

• Has recently gotten SO happy! If people look at her, she gives them the biggest, open-mouthed smile. I catch her laughing all the time at her toys, Avery, the wall, whatever
• Loves when Chad sings to her. She lights up the second he starts
• Busy, busy body. She's so fast! If she sees something she wants, she's gonna get it
• Also very close to crawling! She's a little closer than Avery, which is no surprise because of her constant moving
• Still adores Avery, which is so cute, but it kind of breaks my heart that Avery doesn't always reciprocate haha
• Loves all food. She's still extra chunky :)
• Yells a lot. She's got a lower pitched voice and it's so funny. She, like her sister, loves the sound of her voice. She's a gabber
• Has the saddest crying face. It will break your heart into a million pieces. She's also learned how to get what she wants. We're workin' on it...
• Favorite toys include her hairbrush and baby spoons. Not even kidding. We have a whole box of baby toys (which she likes) but her favorites are the spoon and brush. She carries them around with her. She also loves bouncing in her jumper
• Daddy's girl
• Has two teeth! And they are so stinkin' cute! I should get a picture.

I've been trying to get a good picture of how curly her hair is getting. This isn't great but you can kind of see those little curls at the bottom. They are absolutely darling. I am so excited!

Both Girls

• Currently wearing size 3 diapers (and have been for a WHILE. Thank goodness for Costco)
• Clothes are size 6-9 or 9 month
• Both get jealous when one baby is getting more attention than the other
• Still sleeping well. They both had a weird spell where they would wake up at 12:30am and be awake till around 4:30am every night. It was horrible and we couldn't figure out why the sudden change. Needless to say, we were sleep deprived and SO frustrated. I tried to think about when this spell started and if we did anything different. The only thing I could think of was that the first night it happened, we started giving them Ibuprofen instead of Tylenol (for teething) because it lasts longer. It was the only change we had made, but seemed so random. Anyway, that night I switched back to Tylenol and they slept 11 hours straight. Since then, they've slept great. The last few nights, they've been sleeping 12-13 hours! No more Ibuprofen for these babies!

First trip to Costco!

First otterpops (obviously at grandma and grandpas)! They loved them, duh. 

 Playdate with our next door neighbor, Ellie! Love her.

 PUMPKINS! Chad's Aunt Terry made the hats and we are in love.

We love you so much baby girls! Pretty soon it'll be Christmas and before we know it, you'll be ONE! 

A Time to Be Thankful

It's November. The time of year when everyone talks about everything they're thankful for. Lately, I've been feeling extra grateful and I wanted to take the time to write down the little things that have opened my eyes and made me realize just how much I have.

A few days ago, I was having one of those days. The ones where you just feel...meh. Pessimistic. Annoyed. I couldn't wait to get the girls down for bed so I could go to bed. I just wanted the day to be over. I was so exhausted, I almost didn't say my prayers, but I decided to hurry and say a quick one so I could get to sleep.

As I prayed to my Heavenly Father, I found myself complaining a bit. And then I started having those thoughts where, in the back of my mind, I was remembering more and more things that were bothering me lately: 

The girls haven't been sleeping well

I've been working out so hard and haven't seen the results I want

 Our house is too small for our family of four

The fact that I didn't clean out under the sink and it was overflowing with old grocery bags I needed to just throw away (why do I feel the need to keep every single bag?)

That Chad still hasn't gotten a new job with a better salary

 That I've been living in this house for almost three years and STILL haven't decorated my bedroom

Little petty things that are seriously not a big deal, but in that moment, were consuming me. 

As I lay there, thinking of all these little "problems", I was suddenly overcome with gratitude for the fact that I even have those things to complain about. 

How incredibly blessed am I that I have two of the sweetest babies that are going through a spell where, heaven forbid, they wake up a few times in the night? 

How blessed am I that I have a healthy body that, although it isn't as "in shape" as I'd like it to be, allows me to workout at ALL? 

How blessed am I that I have a beautiful place to call home, packed so tight with love the walls might burst? 
How blessed am I that I have loads and loads of old grocery bags that were once filled with food that we were able to afford? 

How blessed am I that Chad even has a job - one that actually allows us to live quite comfortably?

 How blessed am I that I have a cozy bed to sleep in every night next to the man of my dreams, whether the room we're in is decorated or not? 

I am so glad I had that realization, and I'll tell you what, all that complaining I was doing earlier? Yeah, that stopped real quick. So what if I don't have everything I want? I have everything I could possibly need and more. I think the world we live in has forced us to dwell on the negatives. To always be searching for more. To have our minds consumed with what we don't have, instead of all the wonderful, beautiful things we do. 

Let us all take a minute and remember the things that matter most.