Glenn Beck's Tribute to President Hinkley

Glenn Beck Website

Amazed Mom!

I'm just amazed every day by the things Shelby is learning and doing. It seems almost daily that she learns something new. She is definitely growing up so fast. Especially, it seems, since she turned 1. We started signing with Shelby on and off from about 9 or 10 months but didn't really do it consistently until she was 1 and got a Baby Einsteins First Signs DVD. She loves it and knows the signs so well. I'm trying to find more baby signs so I can keep teaching her. Here are some of Shelby's favorite signs.


Shelby also has lots of other favorites as well.

Favorite words: mama, dada, ba ba (bath), clicking her tongue for the "L" sound (aunt Laura), & momo (elmo)

Favorite sounds: ooooo (when she's excited or wants something), ruff (dog), & moo (cow)

Favorite foods: cream of wheat, yogurt, broccoli, & chocolate

Favorite "things": mom, any stuffed toy, blankie & binkie

Favorite things to do: sing songs that have actions (during meals), eat with a fork, dance, take a bath, watch Baby Einsteins, drink from a straw and play peek-a-boo!

Favorite body parts: head, nose (and everyone elses), tummy, ears & tongue

HELP!

So, Shelby is at this stage in eating where I don't know what she is going to eat from one day to the next, or from one meal to the next for that matter. It seems like what she ate and liked yesterday, she doesn't today, maybe more or less extreme depending on the day. So, I've tried new things, I even reverted back to buying some baby food. I'm not really a fan of store-bought baby food and haven't bought that much of it, but sometimes I just don't know what to do. I don't want to be a mom who has to pull out everything in the fridge or cupboard at every meal until she finally tries and finds something her child will eat. I know and understand that feeding is one of the challenges of parenting, but I'm sure you more-experienced-mothers-than-I have got some great wisdom. So, there it is, I'm eliciting your help. If you have any good ideas that get your child to eat or ideas for food that a 1-year-old would eat, send them this way. I'll let you know how it goes.

Shelby in the snow

Today I finally took Shelby out in the snow. It was the perfect day, sunny and not too cold. Although Shelby hasn't been feeling too great, I thought it would be a great diversion and let her get out some of her energy. She enjoyed looking at the snow and even sitting in it. However, when I tried sledding with her she was terrified even though the hill in the front yard is pretty small! I still took her down lots of times and she cried most of the time but I figured it would toughen her up. She finally stopped crying when I was about ready to be done. I bet next time she sees those sleds and snow boots she'll want to go out! Here are some fun pics.





My sister, Laura, also came out with us and was diverting herself in unusual ways! I got some great pictures of her throwing snowballs up in the air and head-butting them as they fell down.

Heiner Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family website

I got this from Jon and Mary. I tried it twice. The first time I used different pictures and it turned out Shelby looked like both of us equally. With, these pictures, however, I guess she looks a lot more like Ben. How fun!

Family Home Evening

This is one of the great things that has happened since we've been living with my parents. For the past two Mondays since we've been here we have had great Family Home Evenings. Last week we had some friends over from Georgia but we still talked about Joseph Smith since we'll be studying the new manual this year in PH/RS, and tonight we discussed a topic in the New Era. My little sister is turning 12 in April so she will be going to Young Women's. The theme for the youth this year is Mosiah 5:15, "be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works." Elder Bednar had a great article highlighting that very scripture, which we discussed. After our discussion, I went back and read the whole article and here are some things that stuck out to me:
*Being steadfast is being true at all times in whatsoever thing we are entrusted.
*It is standing "firm against the mocking and scorn of the world and defending principles of virtue, integrity, chastity, worthiness, and obedience."
*To become steadfast and immovable, we must make Christ our sure foundation.
*My most favorite is Elder Bednar's reference to the fable of "The Hare and the Tortoise." In short, he says that the hare is a "spurter-one who is given to short bursts of spectacular effort followed by frequent and lengthy periods of rest." The tortoise was slow but consistent and steady; persistent to the end. Our spirituality will not grow from fasting for days in a row or praying for hours on end then ceasing. Rather it will grow through our steady efforts to appropriately fast, pray, study scriptures, etc., over time.
*"Steadfastness is a prime indicator of spiritual maturity."
We also talked about what it meant to be "abounding in good works." Our challenge was to do two things this week to show that. I'm excited for the challenge and hope I can continually find more ways to serve my family and those around me.

Happy Birthday Shelby!

As if we didn't have enough going on or haven't stuffed ourselves silly over the past two weeks! Well, regardless, we were ecstatic to celebrate Shelby's birthday yesterday, a day early. We celebrated it yesterday because my dad took off today on a 3 month long overseas trip and we did it at my sister's house since she just had a baby December 23rd and hasn't ventured into the world yet.
Shelby's party was all about her! Her cousins, Emily, Sadie and Katelyn, as well as my sister, Laura, all doted on her and played with her tons. They even turned on the music and danced the night away, Shelby's new favorite past time. We still didn't get the dancing on video because I left the camera at home by the front door, but we still caught some things with the cell phone camera.
I ventured out on a limb and made Shelby a purple butterfly cake. I think it turned out pretty cute, just don't look too closely at the brown specks in the frosting. Shelby was hilarious with the cake. I don't think she knew what to do with it. She didn't want to touch it, she has issues with slimy and sticky, so she just dove head first at the corner. She didn't end up eating too much because I think the frosting got stuck in her mouth and it was a little much for her to handle. Unfortunately, I think her cousins liked it more than Shelby did. I found them hovering over the cake at the table later, licking it and sticking their fingers in it. Yum-yum!
I can't believe Shelby is 1! This year has literally flown by. I'm excited to see how she'll continue to grow and change and I'm sure she'll continue to make us as happy as ever.

Finally Catching My Breath!

Wow, these past two weeks or so have been a complete whirlwind. We've been back and forth between Logan and Salt Lake many times between holiday celebrations and moving but I think we're finally ready to stay put (sigh of relief). We enjoyed lots of family for Christmas and stayed at my parents in Salt Lake. Shelby's first christmas was fun (see our Heiner Family Movies link). I kept waiting to be surprised, Ben can't keep secrets very well. So, he kept reminding me that we're parents now and we do the surprising.
A few days later, Ben and I left Shelby overnight with my mom so we could pack up the rest of our stuff at our apartment and have it ready to move a day later. Moving day was crazy and, of course, everything always takes a lot longer than you expect. We waited just long enough for Sardine Canyon to be covered in snow. It was a treacherous drive, I was white knuckling it the whole time. Anyway, most of our stuff is in storage and we have officially moved in to my parent's basement.
Shelby has absolutely loved it here! I don't even think she missed us when we were gone over night. She has many more play mates to keep her happy than boring old mom and dad. In our absence, Shelby has learned to dance wildly to Frankie Valli's "Sherry Baby," only my mom and sister changed the words to "Shelby Baby." It was pretty hilarious to watch. I'll have to catch it on video soon and upload it.
Well, after all this craziness, hopefully things will start to slow down around here and get back to normal.