Irelyn's Minnie Party

I had been asking Irelyn for months what kind of party she wanted. She would always tell me a "Minnie Party", but then quickly change her answer to whatever other thing she was looking at/thinking about at the time. We went through a mermaid party, Rio party, Tangled party, etc. I decided a Minnie party would be fun and easy!

She was so excited all week because her aunt Julie was making her Minnie cupcakes. She still talks about them today.

She wasn't very interested in her party, she was having more fun playing her her room with her cousins! She loved having them at her house. The adults enjoyed a BBQ, and sitting in the shade for a bit.

I think her Minnie party turned out perfect! :)

Irelyn turned 3!

It blows me away how fast years are going by. I'm certain it was just yesterday that I was sitting the hospital cuddling my sweet little newborn. Now, in almost a blink of an eye, she is 3! I'm not sure who came up with the "terrible two's" because I'm pretty sure that these first few weeks of the 3's has been crazier than 2 ever was! I guess it could be because I'm 9 months pregnant and exhausted, but she is one spunky, sassy, stubborn firecracker! Currently she won't take no for an answer, calls her dad by his first name, tattle tales on anyone and everything, must constantly be in contact with you in some way, whether it is cuddling, climbing, smacking, kicking or just touching, and refuses to potty train.  She is definitely a do it on her own time kind of girl and has been since day 1.

Although she is exhausting and crazy 90% of the time you still look at her and think how can someone be so cute! (and destructive at the same time!!)  She constantly melts my heart, especially the other day when we went out to the kitchen to make breakfast and she immediately got a piece of paper and pen out and starting making a shopping list, "we need milk, juice, watermelon, grapes" It was the cutest thing ever! She loves to play make believe, whether it be cooking in the kitchen, playing with babies, playing hairdresser, or her favorite, ordering take out...she'll have a hangubur, fries and a strawberry shake if you ask :) 

She is a chatting machine. For months after her 2nd birthday I was so worried about her language skills, she was still only just saying a few words here and there. After we started daycare last November that changed dramatically! She now formulates her own thoughts and ideas, and has taken to talking back! I always wish for her to do things, but sometimes regret when she actually does! Haha!

She loves to be outside with her dad. She helps him weed the garden, mow the lawn, and feed the chickens. She loves looking at the baby apples, and picking ripe tomatoes for mom. She is a pro at driving her little 4 wheeler, but we are still working on the peddling of the tricycle. She loves bubbles, and is deathly afraid of fireworks (which is a fear she better outgrow because she gets fireworks every year on her birthday!)

Stats wise she is so close to breaking that 30lb barrier, but not yet! 28.4lbs, 36 inches - 17% on the charts (but is at least back on the charts!) So far in her 3 years we have had 3 ER trips (two for febrile seizures, one for a head wound from jumping off the table. Here's hoping this doesn't start a trend (one for every year!) She even rode in an ambulance for the first seizure...scary day! Just know that now mom is not a temperature taking crazy person who may or may not be giving you motrin if you feel warm :) We are trying to avoid 3rd seizure before you hopefully grow out of them. They are scary!

Catching up on a whole year is hard, I should do better and in between updates. I'll admit, I love 3, but I do miss my sweet little baby! It's not fair they have to grow up so quickly! I'm so excited to see her as she becomes a big sister, and to see her as she starts dance and preschool this fall (that is if she will stop being so stubborn about potty training!) So many fun things to come!

Irelyn's 2nd Birthday

I think Irelyn had a pretty amazing 2nd Birthday!  She spent most of the day with her Grandma and aunts seeing Monster's University. It sounds like she loved it! When she got home we let her open her presents. She definitely understood the concept this year, and it was quite fun to watch!

 I found her this bookcase and painted/modge podged it to match her room. I love how it turned out and finished off that corner of her room!


We had an Ice Cream party for her big birthday bash. Julie once again impressed with her ice cream cone cake pops and adorable cake. We are so lucky to have someone so talented to make these for us!

It was a wonderful day and it was obvious how loved this little firecracker is! She most definitely got spoiled!

2 Years Old

I have a two year old! I didn't think I would be saying those words so soon! Little Miss Irelyn has grown up so much since my last post. She is now a major talker, and has developed quite the sassy personality. She very much likes things her way, and can throw a pretty good tantrum when she doesn't get it!

In just the past month she has gone from just saying a few words here and there, to repeating everything we say, and saying new words every day! I can't list all of her words, but a few of her favorites are: Elmo, pop pop (Popsicle), Two! (it is always said with an exclamation), pretty please, cookies, fishies, and NO! ( This one she likes to yell at Toby...I think she hears me tell Toby no too much!) Where go? and There it is!

She is a puppy lover. There has yet to be a dog that she wouldn't approach, even when it made Mom extremely nervous. Her Toby dog is finally okay with her and will let her pet him and give him loves.  We went to Panquitch for Memorial Day and went to visit some friends. As we were walking into their house, they were taking their dog outside. The entire time we were sitting inside visiting she would poke me until she got my attention and then say, with the gesture, "Where go, woof woof?" It cracked us all up! I finally had to take her outside to see the woof woof.

She still loves the movie Megamind and we watch it at least once per day. We've been trying out new movies, but she always resorts back to Megamind.

She loves to sing and dance. Whenever I turn on the song, "Walk the Dog" by Fun. she immediately throws her hands in the air and waves them around, shaking her head and dancing. She will also sing along to the song, "Na na na na, go" (It actually goes "Na, na na na, I will not let you go")

She loves to say the word potty and seems to understand what it means, but whenever I ask her if she wants to go she tells me NO! and runs away. I've tried putting her on the toilet a few times and she puts her feet on the toilet, arches her back and yells No! I'm pretty sure she's not ready for training yet!

She loves playing with her cousins, and can actually keep up with them most of the time! Her cousin Kanyon LOVED Batman, and would insist that we call him that. So, she thinks his name is Batman! Whenever she sees him she shouts, "Mat Man!!" She loves him all the time, he loves her about 10% of the time :)

She has definitely entered into the terrible twos. She is into everything at all times of the day. Just today I had to clean the house on 5 different occasions so that it would be clean for her birthday party, even though she was with her grandma and aunts from 10-3! One of the most obnoxious things she does is if you aren't paying attention to what she wants you to pay attention to she will grab your chin and turn it towards whatever she wants you to look at. If you for any reason look away she will just continue to grab your chin. Obnoxious, yet adorable...that explains a lot of things this little firecracker does!

She is very much a daddy's girl. She cries and screams every time he leaves, and wants to be right next to him any time he is around.

She has mastered my phone, and knows exactly how to call grandma. I watched her one day. She did it 10 times in a row. Blew me away! Grandma thought it was pretty funny! :) She has almost basically mastered all of the remotes in our house and Billy was joking the other night that we are going to put trackers on them so we can find them after we have hid them from her so many times!

I must say, this picture really says it all. We are still just smitten with this little sweetheart and she is always making us smile! We are so blessed to have her sweet spirit here with us.  I still look at her every night as we sit in the rocking chair and think I can't believe I get to be her mom! It is definite an amazing experience, and I can't wait to experience the new things this year will bring!

Irelyn at 18 Months

We have a wild one on our hands! At eighteen months Irelyn is a crazy girl! She gets more daring every day, and definitely keeps me on my toes!

 She still loves Grandpa Steve's big mug and goes for it the minute he walks in the room with it.
 
On the language front her two favorite words are mom and hi. She will tell anyone that walks her way "Hi!" She will keep saying it until they say it back to her, and even gives a little wave, However, if you don't say it back be prepared for her evil eye! Her vocabulary is still pretty small, but she says new things all the time. However, it is usually only once and then she won't repeat it for anything! She does speak her own language that her mommy sure wishes she could understand! She spends a lot of time talking on her phone in her gibberish language!

As you can tell by this picture, she rocks the mullet!
(Oh, and that she is a nuisance that pulls everything out of my drawers!)

In the past month she has learned how to run. It is probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen. She gets her arms up in running position and takes off as fast as she can and usually ends us running into the wall because she can't keep control of herself. Don't worry, she always laughs when she does it so we don't feel too bad giving a little chuckle :) With running has brought running away. She thinks it is funny to grab something she knows she shouldn't have and take off running. When you chase after her she will usually chuck such object back at you.

She loves to sit on anything and everything! Her favorite is the little stairs at both of her grandparents houses, and the footstool my grandpa made that I keep in my kitchen. They are the perfect height for her little bum to plop right down on. I made her a floor pillow for Christmas and she loves to plop down on it and watch TV, or just hang out.

She mimics every move you make, and I told her daddy we need to be careful what we do in front of her. Today I was opening a pack of socks and each pair had a plastic tag thru it. I used my teeth to break the tags. She picked up her shirt that I was about to put on her and started biting the fabric and ripping it out of her teeth like I was with the plastic tag. She keeps a keen eye on everything you do and takes note so she can try it too!  A few things she has learned from mimicking are: brushing her teeth, feeding her baby doll, brushing her hair, wiping her nose, rubbing in lotion, etc. She tries really hard to put her clothes on by herself, but can't quite figure that one out!

She has started to play well with other kids. She is a little mean so that worries her mom, but she will usually follow up her slaps with a love.

She figured out how to climb and her mom cried a little inside. She first made her way onto the coffee table, now climbs onto the couch, up the back of the couch and plays with the light switches. I'm sure our neighbors wonder what is going on at our house when the back lights flash on and off all night!

Her hair has finally gotten long enough to do cute little piggies and ponytails! It makes her look way to grown up when her hair is styled! She is usually okay with getting her hair done as long as mom gives her a lot of things for distraction. We start with just the things on the counter, by the end of it I have given her just about everything out of my hair drawer.

On the eating front...how on earth do you get a toddler who is always on the move to stop and eat? She is HORRIBLE! She won't eat vegetables unless I cleverly disguise them. She barely eats meat. She could eat fruit all day. She loves apples, oranges, strawberries and bananas. I try my hardest to make sure she has a healthy diet, but it is hard when she is so picky!

She loves puppies. Toby still doesn't like to play too much, but he has warmed up to her a lot. He will at least be within two feet of her now. He will also let her pet him as long as she doesn't pull or squeeze. He loves her at food times because it is always one bite for her the rest for Toby.  I can't begin to count how many cheese sticks and chicken nuggets this dog has gotten! He gets so mad when I go to take her out of her high chair and will actually bark at me while I do it. She loves her aunt Hannah's little puppy Finley. They play so well together and she even giver her open mouth kisses...ewww! She does get a little hesitant around big dogs, but as soon as she gets a chance to pet them and sit with them a minute she warms right up!

She can show you her eyes, nose, tongue, feet (or as we refer to them: her feeters) and her belly button. She will point to her cousins in a picture and loves carrying around the picture of her cousins when she is at her grandma's house. Even more though, she loves when her cousins come over and play with her!

She will give you loves, but it depends on what mood she is in whether you get real loves, where she wraps her arms around your neck and plants a big slobbery one right on your check, or fake loves where she just leans in with a turned head, no arms, no kisses.

She has a major case of separation anxiety lately. I went back to work when she was 2 months old, and from that day up until two weeks ago she never cried when I left. Two weeks ago she did....broke her mom's heart. Thankfully I am still part time so I can be home with her most days!

We will go to the doctor in a few days to get her 18 months stats.

It's funny how all of those cliches things you say are actually true when you are talking about your child...she is the light of my life, I can't imagine my world without her, etc. When I sit down to write about my feelings these are the things that come to mind. She really is the most amazing thing to have ever happened to me. Each new day, and each new adventure brings me so much happiness! I love watching her figure things out, and love the joy she finds when she accomplishes something! She cheers for herself every time! (Oh and you best cheer for her too, or that evil eye comes back out!) It melts my heart the way that she rubs her bunny on her face when she is tired and trying to go to sleep. I love her kisses, and random hugs.  I know I say it a lot that she is exhausting and a nuisance, but even though she is those things, I wouldn't change her one bit! Love my baby girl! (I keep thinking I need to start calling her toddler girl or something because she isn't a baby anymore!)

Fall 2012 Trip to Winnemucca

We made our annual trip out to Winnemucca this past weekend to visit family. When I tell people I am going to Nevada to see my family they get the idea that I am going to spend the weekend poolside, or in all the fun shops on the Strip in Vegas...well that is not the case! Winnemucca is a little mining town out in the middle of the desert. Their idea of shopping is heading down to the Walmart! I think the closest mall is in Reno which is over 2 hours away. I'm not sure how my family does it! I would go crazy without at least a Target nearby!

However, we always have such a good time, and I love going to see all my cousins and my Uncle Denny! Irelyn went last year but she was only 3 months old so she did really well in the car, sleeping the entire way. This time was a different story! She did not enjoy the 7 hour car ride...that is until Grandma Carol brought out the Cheetos! She made such a mess, but she was a happy camper after that! Oh how this little gapped tooth smile melts my heart!

While we were there they had a Hot Air Ballon Expo at the recreation park. I was so excited to go because I love going to the one in Provo, but it starts soooo early so we never make it! This one started at 7am which is actually 8am for us. The wind kicked up so they didn't get all the balloons up and out of there, but it was still fun to see them all.

Braden, Irelyn, Raquel & Jessica

 Irelyn's Halloween costume this year was inspired by her Uncle Denny and late Aunt Dawn. They are big time into the car shows and have always dressed up their little grandkids in poodle skirts and saddle shoes to go to the shows. I knew Irelyn needed her own poodle skirt, and that she needed to get her picture taken in front of Uncle Denny's Mercury Cougar just like her second cousins had before. However, she wasn't having it! She was so grumpy that morning so we didn't even get a smiling picture! Oh well she still looks like a doll!

We decided since there wasn't much to do in Winnemucca that we would spend one night painting pumpkins. Me and my first cousins once removed (yes, I actually went on and figured it all out to see what we actually are :) stocked up on paint and pumpkins and went to town!

Jordan's, Irelyn's, Raquel's, Jessica's, Jessica's #2, and Braden's

 I love hanging out with these guys! Even though they are 10-15 years younger than me, we still have so much in common and have so much fun! I can't wait until they come to Utah in a few weeks, I have some big plans for us!

I was so happy that Irelyn had so much fun too. There were times when she was a mama's girl, but she really took a liking to my cousin, Lance. I've always thought that he and my oldest brother Greg could be twins. They both look a lot like my Grandpa Thomas. She loves her Uncle Greg, and I really think that she just assumed that my cousin Lance was him. She spend a good hour just laughing and playing around with him and his hat! She also loved her second cousins, and wanted to spend most of her time with them!

It's always so much fun to go, and I hate that we only get to stay for a few days! Friday to Sunday just wan't enough! It especially wasn't enough of a break between 7 hour car rides! However, this time Grandma Carol bribed her with a sucker, and mom downloaded Megamind onto her Kindle, and the drive went a little smoother!