April

We enjoyed watching General Conference. As always, Little A loved hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing. She is all ears for each song. Her and Baby L tag teamed us so we weren't able to watch much without being interrupted. Thank goodness for the internet so we could watch later! A1 and his family came down for a visit over conference weekend as well. We loved having them! The kids played so good together.

My Mom asked me to choreograph a dance for the musical they are doing, Alice in Wonderland. I'm doing the "Down the Rabbit Hole" scene. It ended up looking great! I think their cast thinks I'm a little crazy though. I definitely took them out of their comfort zone with some modern dance.

We went to Baby Animal Days with Little A's birth mom! It was so much fun! Little A loved riding the pony. She also really enjoyed the pigs and goats. Eating out is always a highlight for her, and we got some cotton candy to share on the way out. Baby L was a happy camper in the baby carrier. She loved seeing all the people.

Easter was a lot of fun! We went to an Easter Egg Hunt in a nearby town (ours didn't do one this year). Little A is easily overwhelmed by crowds and noise. They announced that the parents couldn't go out with the children in her age group. Poor Allan was all worried, but I just went with her anyway.

She picked up all the eggs by herself though! She mostly got army men, but she was just fine with that.

Baby L met the Easter Bunny. Little A didn't want to this year.

We colored eggs as a family. The Easter Bunny hid the eggs all around the house for the girls to find. Little A always loves that. The girls loved the gifts in their baskets. Baby L picked out hers. It was really cute. I held up two different options (a rainbow bunny or a pink lamb) and told her she could choose one. She looked at them thoughtfully for a while and then chose the pink lamb. Little A got a truck (she LOVES trucks). They both got chocolate bunnies, peeps, a Cadbury Egg, and a dress.

That Sunday we went to Nana's and Pops' house for an Easter dinner. The girls loved the Easter prizes. (Bunny purses, an outfit, bracelets, and bows!) These cute cousins always have so much fun playing together! They all looked soooo cute in their dresses!

We tried to grab a quick family picture, but miss A wasn't having it. This is the best we got.

Nana with some of her girls. (Currently Nana and Pops have 8 daughters and 6 granddaughters! Only 3 nephews so far. Poor boys are WAY out numbered)

This little Princess turned 10 months! She's so beautiful! She is such a happy little girl! She is loving eating food. Still doesn't like fruit but loves vegetables and will tolerate meats if they're mixed with vegetables. She loves music, people, and she enjoys having loud outbursts. Her favorite thing to do is wave ribbons around (or really anything that is long and shakable). She says Mama and Dada and likes to mimic Little A.

We went to visit Allan's family. Little A has always loved Uncle SB, and still does. They enjoyed watching funny animal movies together.

We're loving our newly improved playroom. Little A loves the nursery rhyme felt board stories. She's getting pretty good at telling them back to me (in her "little A" way).

One day I came back from a bathroom break to find the girls like this. Baby L had pushed herself all the way under Little A's bed, and they were playing peek-a-boo with each other! So cute!

We took Little A to see a developmental psychologist for some evaluations. We're trying to get a diagnosis so that our insurance can help cover the cost of her therapies. It was a LONG eval. She was super bored. There were two highlights though. At one point they were evaluating matching. They gave her a paint pen and asked her to "smash" the bugs that matched each other. She did a few lines and then just smashed all the bugs, while squealing in delight, lol! I got a kick out of that one. The next highlight was when they asked her to stand as still as a statue with her eyes closed for one minute. Oh. My. Goodness!!! I died! It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Bless her heart, she tried so hard. She ended up sideways in a chair with one eye open, one squinting, hands at her side, and feet flailing!

Afterward we went to lunch at her favorite restaurant, Panda Express, and then got ice cream after. She earned it!

Her favorite thing to do in Occupational Therapy is swing. This girl could literally swing all day long and be happy. While on the swing she catches and throws balls, gives high fives, pops bubbles, etc. My favorite thing is the roller. It really seems to calm her and help her organize herself. She hates it though.

She loves to paint at school! She is doing so well there and has made some really good friends. One day a new girl came to class. Little A went right up to her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her along to  play. Ava stayed with her the rest of the day. We're so proud of our friendly, loving little girl!

We celebrated my birthday by going out to eat. We were going to do more, but unfortunately Allan got called into work. Bummer. He didn't get home until about 9pm, but then made my birthday cake so we could have it the following evening. I sure love my man!

He took Little A to the store to pick out a gift for me. He told her she could get me a toy, kitchen item, or stuffed animal. She thought about it and then decided on a toy. While they were walking to the toy isle Allan tried to turn down the kitchen isle. Little A immediately shouted "No Daddy! Toy!" She knew what she wanted, ha! She picked out a coloring book for me, and immediately after opening it she took it to her table and colored in it for me, lol! She was so pleased! Allan is doing some projects in the laundry room for me.

Nana and Pops got these cuties matching shirts for Easter. Little A is over the moon about matching with Baby L. :)

Little A loves to sit on Allan's feet and have him walk her around the room like that. We were babysitting for a friend, and her little girl had to get on too! They thought it was pretty funny!

We've enjoyed really enjoyed our fire pit. It's been nice to sit and chat by the fire while the girls run around. We've really been enjoying the s'mores too!

Little A is still really enjoying using the camera. She's getting better and better at aiming and remembering to keep her finger off of the lens! She took this one of Baby L and I.

Baby L's Sealing

We had the wonderful opportunity to be sealed in the Temple to our sweet Baby L! The day before there was a blizzard. We were VERY grateful for the beautiful weather!

Our sealing was at 9am, so we got up, and got the girls up, early that morning. Little A was excited to go to the Temple and wear her new dress. Baby L was a happy little camper as usual. The girls had a ball in the Temple's youth center. Little A played house with one of the "grandma's" there. When I went back to feed Baby L, she had pulled all of the dolls up to the table with their strollers and was feeding all of them. there were about 8 dolls in strollers! Baby L jabbered at all the women until she fell asleep.

They brought her to us asleep in a vintage pram, which is my absolute favorite! They brought Little A to us the same way when she was sealed. Little A loved how it bounced and giggled and squealed the whole time! On the way back to the youth center Baby L lay in the pram jabbering and playing with her toes.

The sealing for children is short, but beautiful. Baby L sat on the alter and very sweetly watched the sealer as he spoke. The spirit was very strong. I really struggle to find the right words to express the feeling that is there in the sealing. It is a palpable and beautiful. I feel immersed in warmth and joy. It's a very special and unique experience. We're so grateful for the many family members who were able to share this wonderful experience with us, and for the many who were there supporting us in spirit.

Afterward Baby L pulled my veil off of my head. She's got a thing for shaking ribbon and the veil has some nice ribbon on it. We took the girls back to the youth center for a minute so we could prepare to go outside for pictures. When we got back there were other children there. Little A was thrilled to have some friends to play with. Her and another little girl had a snack in the little play kitchen. She wasn't very happy to leave her snack to take pictures.

After the Temple we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to give Baby L her baby blessing. It was a beautiful blessing. We're so grateful to have the opportunity to raise this gorgeous girl who is full of so much potential. She brings so much love into our family. We can't wait to see all that she will do in her life.

March

We had the weirdest day at church. Little A had a substitute for her church class that day. The teacher gave them a treat which she was very excited about. During sharing time she ran over to me to show me. On her way back to her seat she ran into the Primary Leader who was teaching and fell down. I took her out and calmed her down. Shortly after we got back inside they started clapping and cheering! This is a sensory overload for her so I had to take her out again to calm her down. We went back in, and shortly after she needed to go potty. She didn't pull her pants down far enough so the pee ended up getting on her pants and panties. I took them off of her, and we were washing our hands when someone turned the lights out! The bathroom is set up a little different. You enter through a door, then there's a small area in between two doors where the light switch is located, then you go through the second door to enter the bathroom. So, when the light is out there really is no light. Not even light coming in through the bottom of the door! I ran into Little A and the counter top/changing table while I was trying to find the door (also I have night blindness so I really can't see a thing in the dark). I finally found the door only to not be able to find the light switch so I continued to grope my way out the second door so I could open it to see the light switch. We gathered up our things and then went to find Allan, who had the diaper bag. While I was getting the diaper bag Little A flashed our friends, lol! We got through the rest of church and got loaded up in the van only to find that the battery was dead! We still haven't figured out what was on to make it die. Gratefully there were still people there so someone came out to help jump our van. Strange, strange day.

Baby L in the headphones she wore to the show I was in. She's so cute! I love how they smush her cheeks together! Ha!

Little A's school had the Cat in the Hat come one day. She was thrilled to have a "meowy" nose and whiskers just like on Halloween. She is still talking about how she is a "meowy". :)

They also had a BOGO book fair. I bought WAY too many books, but we've really enjoyed reading them. All the cute ladies passed Baby L around while I looked at books, ran out to the car for my check book, and back to the car to drop the books off. A really nice thing about small towns is that you know pretty much everyone, and there's always at least one person there that you know enough to leave your baby with if you need to. Although, when I came back in from dropping the books off I couldn't find Baby L. The teacher (who is the sweetest lady) had to gather her class, so L was in the hall with all the kids, who were fawning over her.

We also got a whole bunch of girl scout cookies. Yum! Little A was over the moon about them. She shared them with her friends when they came over to dance one morning, lol! They got caught in the kitchen snitching cookies!

We've really been enjoying the warmer weather. Baby L loves to swing just like Little A.

Baby L turned 9 months old! She is getting so big! She also started babbling! It is the cutest thing! Every now and then she'll mimic something we say. So far she's said "ready" and "oh, wow". Ha! She also says Mama and Dada. Mama is almost always if she's mad or in distress.

I cut my hair! It was a much needed change. I've been talking about it for the last 2 years to get Allan adjusted to the idea. Last time I chopped it he about had a heart attack. He actually really likes it this time. I thought Baby L and Little A might react badly to it, but when I came back the both laughed at me! They also laugh at Allan when he shaves his beard, lol!

Little A is still taking pictures. She took this one of the picture of Jesus in her room. She calls Him "My Jesus."

These two funny girls are buddies.

They adore each other. Baby L loves it when Little A will sit and play by her or with her.

A loves to give her soft kisses over, and over, and over, ha! Sometimes it drives L batty! Also, Little A picked out Baby L's outfit in this picture. I thought it was hilarious!

Both the girls just love it when Daddy with give them piggy back rides or toss them in the air. A calls them "neigh rides" and "high". Allan is such a good Daddy. He loves to play with them and is really good at playing with both of them together.

I let Little A pick out a treat for Family Home Evening. She picked some sugar cookies from the bakery at the grocery store. When she was done eating them she called herself the "cookie monster", ha! At school she is the "muffin monster". They make things at school sometimes (muffins, pancakes, etc.) for their snacks. Little A loves to eat anything she makes. One particular day they made chocolate chip muffins that I guess were quite large. She ate the whole thing (and I'm sure was a big mess after because she is still a very messy eater) which earned her the title muffin monster.

Baby L loves to play with things that she can wave around. She's a very expressive baby (except when the camera is out, then she refuses to look). When we give her something long that she can wave like a ribbon, stick, the toy pictured,

or this tube from our ball pump, she grins ear to ear and gets sooo excited waving her hands and bouncing up and down.

She also started giggling lately. She has had this really deep belly laugh for months, but now she giggles too. She actually likes to experiment with different giggles, it is soo funny!

Little A had a doctor appointment in a nearby city. While A and I were there Allan took Baby L to the store to stock up on some things. Afterward we went to a restaurant for lunch. Baby L was looking out the window. She suddenly squawked at Allan and then about 30 seconds later was sound asleep doubled over his arm.

When Little A comes home from school she is completely exhausted. She almost always asks to lay on the couch and look at stories and then quickly falls asleep. If she doesn't do this then she falls asleep at the table during dinner.

Allan was playing with Baby L one day and put her on top of his head. She immediately grabbed his hair and started gumming his head and growling/giggling!

I recently taught little A this fun game. She loves it! I'll get her up there, and we'll sing "She flies through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young A on the flying trapeze." Then I'll cause some turbulence and set her down. She will do this over, and over, and over.

Baby L likes to get in on it too.

We got a late Christmas gift from Great Gram which was very thoughtful! In it were these darling hats!

Baby L has started to enjoy being read too. She's also learned how to turn the pages, although she doesn't always like to let go after she turns them.

Daddy was putting Little A down for a nap and they took this darling selfie.

Grandma and Grandpa gave little A a Cat in the Hat card game for her birthday. We love it and play it often. This time she drew the instructions to crawl to the bathroom and back with the fish on your head.

We had spring break and celebrated by having some fun play dates with friends we hadn't seen in a while. Little A was so happy to see her friends! We also celebrated World Down Syndrome Day. March 21st (for the 21st chromosome). We sure love our sweet girl!

We went to see the Lion King! We've been waiting for this for a year! We were very concerned about Little A getting overwhelmed and having to leave, but we thought we'd try. We talked about it a lot, about how there'd be clapping and cheering, lots of people, loud noises, scary parts, etc. We also watched the clips that they have online. I told her stories about "a little girl with brown hair, blue eyes, and the cutest dimples you ever did see" going to a show. We had a friend make her a head band to try to make her headphones more comfortable (which she ended up not needing) and bought her a treat to eat during the show, and made sure to sit as close to the aisle as we could. We were as prepared as we could possibly be.

She absolutely loved the show! The opening scene she was pointing at all the animals and was so excited. She got bored during the second act, but got right back into it whenever there was a song. We are so, SO proud of her!!! Allan and I also LOVED the show! The puppetry was amazing! All the performers were so good. We went with Nana and Pops and all the sisters and cousins. It was a really fun trip. (Also, a HUGE thank you to Grandma who watched Baby L for us so we could go!)

The biggest news for this month is that we got to finalize Baby L's adoption! We were so, SO excited! Some of our family were able to make it up to the hearing. Little A was so excited about our family coming she asked every day that week if they were going to be there that day. She was so thrilled when they finally came. She loved showing them the room we got set up for them.

The family got to sit in the jury seats which was fun for the kids. The judge is one of the leaders in our church congregation (the second councilor in the Bishopric of our ward). It was fun to have someone that we knew, it made it more like a special family gathering.

Our social worker said some very nice things in our home study. It made us feel really good! We've loved getting to know her and having her in our home. We're going to miss her visits. At the end the clerk ran out and came back with a bear for all of the kids and two special bears for A and L that the Judge picked out for them. It was the cutest, sweetest thing! The kids played with their bears all weekend! Little A has made sure that she doesn't go to sleep with out "my bear!" by her side.

We are so grateful for Baby L's birth family. We're so grateful for the sacrifice they made for her, for the kind and loving people they are, and we hope that we can do their sacrifice justice by giving her the full and happy life they hoped she would have.