as promised

Here's a peek at our little baby.  Ha ha!

Plus a few other happy things:

not your typical grafitti

 my beautiful mother's day bouquet

Paisley has been living on the patio since the weather's been nice--and in my high heels. 

It's so adorable!

37 weeks + easter randoms

Here's the much asked for picture of my "cute belly."  I hope it lives up to your expectations.  So I'm 37 weeks and feeling swell.  Or should I say 37 weeks and swelling?  Sometimes I feel like my legs and feet are going to explode.  Other than that, no complaints here.  Overall this pregnancy has been much less uncomfortable than the first. 

And here's the ultra supportive father-to-be, sporting his hand-crafted bunny ears that Paisley refused to wear.  She was so compliant two years ago. 

 a teeny tiny easter basket for Paisley

The desert in bloom.  This is definitely the most beautiful time of year here.  We've been trying to take advantage of that.  No intense hikes for this mama, but walks and picnics as often as possible. 

Here's to hoping Paisley will be this sweet with her baby brother.

Next post: new baby smith

and then she was two

We can't believe the little munchkin is two already! Brandon made her this birthday pie. It's filled with strawberry yogurt. It was kind of a joke since yogurt was the only dessert Paisley got on her first birthday, but we froze it for a couple hours and it turned out to be really delicious.

Here's how the birthday girl enjoys spending her time at home these days:

Dressing up! Paisley is so girlie. She loves to put on tutus, skirts, scarves and necklaces, and typically changes her shoes eight times a day. She's even gotten mad when I tried to take her bow out for bedtime.

Playing Make Believe. I was so lucky to snap this shot of her pretending to pray. After praying she proceeded to take the Sacrament. Her other favorite make believe games: leaving the house (to play you put on a purse, wave, say "bye. see ya," close the bedroom door behind you, and repeat), caring for her baby doll, tea parties, and driving (sorry, Paisley, no Little Tikes yet. She's pretty content with the laundry basket for now though).

Drawing and Painting

Singing

Reading

Laughing!  Sorry this video is sideways, but you get the point when you hear that giggle.  Paisley loves to be tickled and chased. 

Happy Birthday, Paisley!

yipee!

I started this baby book for Paisley months (maybe a year?) ago and I finally finished last night! I figured that if it didn't get done before baby number 2 gets here, it wasn't happening. 



One class I really regret not taking at BYU is bookbinding.  I heard the teacher was a tough grader.  I cared way too much about grades and not enough about learning.  Maybe one day I'll take a real class, but for now I just read some books on on the subject and decided to try an accordian style binding.  (Basically you fold a little paper accordian and glue pages into it).  I love that you don't have to decide how many pages you'll have or what order they'll be in until you're all done.  Here's a little peek inside.   

 

 p.s. are you digging the april fool's decor I woke up to?

missing nana already

Look at these two cuties.  We had a fun visit from Mama Smith this past weekend.  Paisley was thrilled to prance around in Nana's hats and high heels, be carried 24/7 (I haven't been doing much of that lately), and eat her very first piece of gum.  Aren't grandparents the best?

our secret garden

" 'Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities.  It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend . . . When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present--love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]--the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.' "

-Sarah Ban Breathnach quoted by Thomas S. Monson "Finding Joy in the Journey" Ensign November 2008

Beautiful, huh?  I'd been feeling the blues, but this quote snapped me out of it.  I've got a lot to be happy about.  Here's a little glimpse at our secret garden:



mini boat races

sweet paisley

desert adventures

  

fresh salad for dinner

almost 7 months!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY.

Valentine's weekend in Las Vegas seems like the perfect time to go see some snow and remember what winter feels like.  Or maybe we just wanted to reminisce.  Remember the pregnant snow lady we made a couple of years ago?  Well, this year we were a little too late in the season.  Packing the snow was like trying to pack piles of dust. 

Here's Brandon's attempt at throwing a snowball.



We did manage to make these little guys though.



See the family resemblance? 

And here's a little peak at our Valentine's decor.  I fell in love with this coffee filter garland and wanted to make it at Christmas time.  No worries though, it fits Valentine's Day better anyway.  It makes me think of cupcakes all day long. 

Wishing you all a Happy day!

surrounded by her favorite things



Paisley typically spends a couple hours a day looking at books.  I know, I'm super lucky.  One of my goals for the new year is to request picture books for Paisley before making a trip to the library.  (We can request books online and in a couple of days they'll have them ready for us.  Does your library do that?)  It has been the best goal ever.  Paisley loves the variety and I've found some amazing books that weren't around when I was a kid. 

These are my absolute favorites so far:

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck
How to Make an Apple Pie and see the world by Marjorie Priceman
Little Hoot and Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Any other suggestions?  We're always looking for more!