Reese Turns One!!

I can NOT believe that Reese is already one. If you want to you can go here and read about Reese's birth. This was one of the fastest years of my life! Yet this past year has been filled with so much love, laughter, and fun memories that I wouldn't trade it for anything!!! Having Reese join our family has added so much to the feeling in our home. Her hugs and smiles make us all feel so happy! Emi and Reese just light up when they see each other. It makes me feel so happy and so grateful to see them have so much fun together. I decided to have her party theme be based on the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I chose it because Reese LOVES to eat! Ok and because it would be simple, yet fun. Melissa came down early and helped me get things ready. We are truly so blessed in our family. We always have so many people support us whether they are there physically or in spirit.

Lucky for us Reese took a good nap before everyone arrived. We had roll sandwiches with some of the things that the caterpillar ate. Reese was full of smiles and her cute personality. My mom made the cake and it turned out AMAZING!!! I wanted her to make a watermelon cake. We looked online and we were kind of making fun of some of the watermelon cakes. She was worried that her cake might end up like the ones that we made fun of. Some people didn't even know it was the cake at first! Reese was so cute opening her presents! She loved them all! We just have to wait for it to warm up a little so that she can wear the cute clothes that she got:) The first gift she opened was a baby doll from her Wood cousins and she HAD to have it out of the box!! While we sang happy birthday she wanted the cake so bad, but when we set it in front of her she wasn't sure that she wanted it. After her first taste she liked it, but only ate a little bit before she was done. I guess my girls just don't like to have their hands dirty:) That's ok with me! Here are the pictures from the happy day!

 photo bomber Emi:)

 before the party watching a movie

 The cake! Amazing, huh?

 Look at AJ's face, ha ha!

Holding her baby tight! 

 right in the middle of opening presents she wanted on the chair

 She wanted to wear the hand band my grandma gave her

 "I want the cake Daddy!"

 "Ok...now what do I do?"

 "I touch it?"

 "I should put it in my mouth"

 "Mmmm...that's pretty good. Think I'll have some more"

 "Ok. I'm done"

"No, really guys, I'm done!!"

March and Easter things

What a fun month March was! It got warm enough to go on a walk. We got to swing in the back yard. Both of the girls love being outside. Sometimes it just makes us all feel better to go out and take a deep breath! Reese started climbing on things. She now loves the little princess chairs and thinks she's "all that" when she gets on it:) Emi learned how to do a back arch up after watching her cousin Ruby show off her new skills. Her attempt was slightly different-instead of using her hands/arms to push herself up she uses her head. I tried it that way and it is REALLY hard.

We went to St. George with Koby's family because the nieces were in a competition down there. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of them really, at least not in their costumes. Watching them dance is SO much fun! I think I hold my breath the whole time and then when they are done I'm so happy for them and so proud that I just want to cry! I seriously get teary-eyed every time I watch them dance. They are such beautiful dancers. I can't wait to have Emi dancing too! I probably don't want to go on another driving vacation until Reese is forward facing.

 

As usual we got together and colored eggs with the Bawden cousins. It was so fun to watch Emi this year! She basically colored them all by herself with a little help from Brookie. Emi's pants pull her panties down, but it is probably the cutest little crack I've seen;) Reese hung out with Nixon because they are both too little to actually color eggs. They shared their treats with each other and had fun too!

 

The Saturday before Easter we had our Annual Egg-lympics with my family. We played games and then had an egg hunt for the kids. Reese and Emi both enjoyed getting eggs. Reese does not like the feel of grass yet so I had to carry her around to find her eggs. Once she saw what was inside-yogurt melts and puffs-she loved opening her eggs too:)

 

 

Easter Sunday we had Resurrection Rolls and the girls looked for their baskets. After Reese found 3 eggs she was done and just wanted to eat what was inside. Emi loved looking for her eggs and then "helping" Reese find the rest of hers. After church the girls and I headed out to Bluffdale to see my grandparents and family. Koby rode out with his sister because he had to stay and count the tithing. We met him at his grandparents and then watched Emi participate in the annual egg hunt. Grandpa Hensley always hides an egg worth a dollar. Emi was the lucky one to find it this year! She had so much fun hunting that Koby would re-hide some of hers. Reese had fun sitting on the blanket with her little buddy Nixon. He is such a cutie!!

I tried to teach Emi and show her pictures about the Crucifixion so that she would know that Easter is more than egg hunts and candy. I don't think she really understood, but it helped me to remind myself that Christ lived, died, and was resurrected for me. He loves me that much. I am so eternally grateful for the gift of life that He has given to me.