A New Year!

Well it is the beginning of 2012 and the start of a new year of many changes for our family. We hope to find out within the next month or two of Dave's graduate schooling so we can start planning on a move :) An update on recent events for us and some pictures to go with:

Well one reason I didn't blog for the last part of the year is because I was working on Dave's Christmas present which was my first project on my new sewing machine! Dave had the idea in April (before I even had a sewing machine) to make a blanket with all of his championship shirts from college sports and I gave myself the deadline of Christmas to do it as a gift for him. At the time I had no idea how I was going to do it, then received a brand new sewing machine from my parents for my birthday and began to have hope that I would be able to do my project! It was a LOAD of work, especially because I had to learn on the spot and improvise at times, but it was fun and completely rewarding... and I am pretty proud of the outcome. I am SO grateful for my mom's motivation and help getting it started or I may not have finished it in time!

 The final product and I now feel like I can do anything! haha

 Upon Dave's request, it is on our bed for now :)

An update on our little Bailee girl

• Just before Christmas, her 2 bottom teeth broke through! She gave a new meaning to the song "All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth" :)
• She is trying to pull herself up on everything but struggles. I try putting her on her tummy to scoot and she just rolls over. She definitely preferssitting to being on her tummy!
• She loved the wrapping paper and bows at Christmas and was more helpful than I expected when unwrapping the paper!

• Loves dumping out her baskets of toys

 Having fun with her sunnies

 The week before Christmas ready for church

 Fell asleep in the backpack on Gran while she was cooking

 First trip to Yosemite iceskating

 Hanging out at Boomers

 

 Dave and my dad having fun on the go karts

 An early "better than anything" birthday cake

 First plane ride to go see Papa and Grandma Wilcox

 With Grandma and Papa Wilcox

 She has one chunk of long hair that we managed to get into a ponytail!

 5 generations

 With the aunties and mom in Yosemite

 Christmas Family photo

 At Yosemite big trees

 Daddy entertaining Bailee

Ok, so if you have looked this far down, consider yourself honored to get a laugh out of my little mishap.... My disclaimer** I have to say that I have NOT fallen in YEARS!!! I will admit this event was pretty funny and my dad just happened to catch it on the camera :)

I will continue to post more as often as I can and hope that this coming year brings us as much joy as 2011 :)

Hug a Bub!

I received a pretty awesome package when we got back home this weekend from our visit to my parents last week... The mom of the twin boys I worked as an au pair for in Australia had sent me a Hug a Bub wrap made from a company in Australia! We got it Saturday night and I have already used it a few times in just 2 days! I was so excited because I was going to make one, but found it was more expensive to buy enough fabric than it would have been to just buy one.

Bailee really likes it too. We went shopping today and she was talking and laughing most of the time :)

Well... I finished my internship yesterday... It was such a great experience and it didn't feel like it was really over. These are all of the treats I received as going away gifts :) I think we have enough almond products to last quite a while! Dave also made me a very cute Congratulatory sign that was hanging right in front of me as I walked in the door to come home today! It was so sweet.

 Although I will miss working, I know I will LOVE my time home with Bailee! Last night we had her in her Bumbo seat on the kitchen counter because she gets bored with the floor and likes being up at our eye level.. I usually do it while I am making dinner so I can entertain her by talking about what I am making. I turned from doing some things at the sink and found her like this-

It was too cute! There are cookies in that Tupperware so it appears as if she is truing to get into the cookie jar :)

Last weekend we went to Apple Hill in Placerville which was a great little day trip! We were supposed to meet our friends up there, but they had weren't able to make it and we decided to go anyway to check things out. It was so nice to get out of the city and breathe fresh, clean air! Dave recognized a little gas station that we stopped at on our way to Tahoe for our honeymoon :) It was fun reminiscing on how much our life has changed just by the difference of the contents in our car from that first trip to this second one. We went to a farm called Kids Inc where we sat on a grassy green hill and had lunch while we looked out across many acres of apple orchards! It was a relaxing day that we all needed. We also had some apple cheesecake that was AMAZING! After we explored the various activities at that farm, we stopped at another farm to pick apples. We picked fugi and one granny smith. We have now decided that we don't ever want to buy fugi from the store because they were so great right off the tree and they are never that good from the store. Bailee was ready for a nap while we were picking apples....

Here are a few more recent pictures :)

So my parents brought us a whole bunch of jalapeno peppers and I found an awesome appetizer recipe that is so good! Cream cheese and cheddar cheese stuffed in the jalapeno wrapped in bacon! A good artery clogger, but all things in moderation can be enjoyed :)

Dave got Bailee ready so I had to document how cute he can put together an outfit. I love that he even did the flower in her hair.

Just chillin' in the kitchen

LOVES her toes! She is also very helpful holding her feet up while we change her diaper :)

Just lookin' cute in daddy's hat

                                                                                                              

Gran and Papa Visit!

Gran and Papa Barrett came yesterday by my request to watch Bailee so Dave and I could go on a date to the temple. It was a surprise to Dave that I had planned since Tuesday! We loved going to the Sacramento temple. It was our first time and we were right next to it about a week ago getting our brakes fixed in the car and had no idea! The temple is so beautiful and we were due for a visit :) My parents were so excited to come and play with Bailee and visit us. We taught them our new favorite game, Mexican dominoes.

One day she will get a proper ride on the bike but for now she can just sit on it with them :)

She loves getting their 100% attention while they are here and they love giving it!

Loves her Papa

Went to an awesome place called Letherby's for lunch and had this AWESOME sundae afterward and are still full from it!

We loved having my parents here! Dave and I even got an extra nap this morning while they took Bailee out for a walk :)

Settling down feels so good!

We are finally in our own place and it is getting in order. A much slower process with Bailee around but it is getting there and we just take advantage of her down time to organize and establish our new home :) Bailee had her first set of vaccines last Friday which made for a stressful weekend of moving in with an unhappy baby. We learned that the doctor prescribed her a minimal dose of tylenol so she was toughing out those shots on her own :( She did really well getting them and is now back to her normal smiley self!
I have added a whole load of pictures since we have been here and there for the past little while... some are older than others but it is crazy to see how much she has grown in just a month!
She LOVES LOVES LOVES her swing! It is entertaining just watching her fascination with the little ball that rolls back and forth as songs are played. Once it stops she has even cried for us to turn it back on and once we do she gets a huge grin and throws her arms around in excitement!

prefers to eat her clothes :)

from the beginning...

with Auntie Jennah

These shorts dont fit her anymore

footprints with Gran and Daddy

It is so amazing to see how she looks at Jesus. I showed her the picture again yesterday and she just got really still and looked at it in a way that was a very obvious sign of connectedness... i can't fully explain it but I know she knows who he is because she was with him not too long ago :)

holding the rattle that Great Uncle Nate made for her

Grandma and Bailee taking a nap

First trip to the beach

She loves looking at the books and gets really excited

First trip to the zoo

Riding with Daddy on Papa Barrett's tractor

Our dinner centerpiece and the centerpiece of our lives!

Shots :(

Today Bailee had her first round of her 2 month shots. She cried right when the stuck her with the needle but it wasn't long! She did so well :) She is now weighing 13 lbs and is 23 inches long and we are loving watching her changes each day! She rolled over for Dave the other day but it took quite the effort. I was at my internship, which can be hard being gone, but I am so glad Dave gets the opportunity to spend time with her while she is little because he will likely not have the same experience with any of the other children we have in the future. Dave is so great with her and I am so grateful to have him in my life for eternity :)