Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover

I don't know what gets me more about this: the fact this woman is chubby with furry eyebrows and her voice doesn't match her appearance, or that the judges and audience were outright laughing at her before she even got a chance, or how the judge's jaw's dropped when she began to sing, or the fact she chose I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables (SO apropos!!!) or how the men waiting in the wings were so excited for her, or just how very sublime her voice is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I can't embed but I'm telling you, watch it, watch it, WATCH IT!!!

Nature or Nurture?

Grandpa Nielsen is a bit more lenient than Brent and I when it comes to Liesel. Come to think of it, there isn't much he says "NO" to where she's concerned. Liesel has him wrapped around her little, tiny finger. Dad's always had a soft spot for his grandchildren and Liesel is no exception.

One of her many interests these days is electronics. She really loves cell phones, iPods, remote controls, car door openers (she's also a big fan of setting off the car alarm), blackberries and of course, laptops. Brent and I have carefully protected our laptop to keep her from destroying it because that little girl packs a surprisingly hard punch. Grandpa on the other hand, couldn't deny her wish when he was in town a few weeks ago. We were amused at what ensued when she finally got her little paws on that laptop:

What kills me is how she even seems to know how to use the touch pad to open a program! Either she's a natural administrative assistant, or she's been watching Brent and I when we type. Whatever the case, this should settle the question as to who authored the post entitled Hello Mother, Hello Father.

Baby Steps

For months now Liesel has been on the verge of walking. She'd creep alongside the couch, cupboards, and just about anything else at her height. She could walk from one end of our apartment to the other, just holding on to fingers. In the kitchen she loved holding on to the chair while scooting it across the floor. I was visiting with a friend while she scuttled around and I held her lightly by the elbow when she hurriedly took a few steps. She almost did it alone... almost! We could tell she was seriously contemplating becoming fully mobile.

It's almost like something clicked with Liesel's first birthday. One day after the blessed event we were at the Sorenson's. I was playing Blockus while Brent hung out with their kids. He showed them some of her finer "tricks" when Liesel started free standing. The Sorenson's were so enchanted with her and I think that was the motivating factor. With a captive audience, she suddenly took that first step. Then she did it again, and again. Now she's taking two and three at a time. There's no stopping her now! I'm so grateful Brent thought to pack the camera so we could catch some video.

I love how she throws her hands in the air and yells. Clearly she knows she's doing something monumental. Her triumphant screams are absolutely priceless. We can't help but laugh every time we watch this and since yesterday night that's been about a dozen times. I'm so PROUD of her!!!

Be Kind To Your Web-Footed Friends

Liesel turned 1 on Thursday! Hooray!!! We celebrated with much fanfare which included: a trip to the Dr. for immunizations, turning the car seat around, photos at JC Penney's and the traditional birthday cake.

Having been inspired by the show Ace of Cakes I decided to try my hand at making a cake in the shape of Liesel's favorite toy; a duck. We're on a budget so I didn't shell out the money for a cake mold but I tried to improvise. We already own an oval glass dish which served as the body. I got a Styrofoam ball from JoAnn's which made the head and cut arcs into it for the bill. The bill was made out of (what else?) Pringles and I cannot begin to tell you how HARD that part was. I didn't need a whole Pringle, just half a Pringle and as it turns out, they're pretty fragile. I nibbled on about a third of a can (they can't be cut with a knife!) before I had two halves that would work. Jr Mint eyes with pink jimmies for eyelashes worked well. The turned up duck tail was a tough one until Brent brought in half of a plastic Easter egg we had just used for Liesel's one year photos. Perfecto!

The only problem was when I ran out of time. Brent needed to head out for the Elder's Quorum dinner before Priesthood session and we were quickly losing daylight for decent photos. The cake wasn't entirely cooled and you can see the frosting started to slide off. Still, I'm glad we were able to get it done and very happy with the results. Liesel was surprisingly persnickety with the idea of digging in, much to Brent's delight. Before I even placed it in front of her, he kept telling me if she didn't destroy it too much we'd be able to have some later. All in all, I'm very happy with it, especially considering I'm a complete amateur with this stuff.

We love our beautiful girl so very much and are so thankful we get to be her parents. To many more!!!