A few of our favortie things

I just can not get enough of Kelsey lately! As she gets older and starts to look like a toddler I just want to shout out to everyone how much I love her. Lately I have really been trying hard to catch her life on camera so that when she is older and asks "what was I like as a baby?" I can show her. These are just a few of you favorite things Smooch

Water and your baby

 Your new car seat (which actually should be in the car) that you love to climb on . You will be so sad when we finally act like responsible parents and put this in the car.

 Taking all of your clothes from the bins

 Climbing in and out of the Bumbo

 Watching the kitties across the grass/ waiting for dad to come home

 Pushing your stroller as a walker

 Reading your books

Also... you LOVE your new walkers, you love to give very big hugs, you love to bite dads nose, you love to growl as you crawl, you love to kick the water in the bathtub, you love to do ANYTHING outside, you love to be with people, you love to drink from cups, and you love to not look at the camera when you know that mom is taking a picture :) You will always smile, but you won't smile at the camera, always away.

 I love you smooch face! Can't wait to get to know you even better than we have!

Kelsey's Birthday

I seriously can not believe that her birthday has come and gone. What's even weirder to think about, is what we were doing a year ago today. I just can not believe that it has been a year.  I have had a baby and that that baby has grown up into a one year old baby who can eat by herself, babble, walk with a walker, play, laugh, communicate kind of, and so many other things. What?!  I mean where has the time gone.
It has been a great year and I love having Kelsey in our lives. There are so many things that I love about Kels but there are a few things that really stick out in my mind I love how much Kelsey loves to cuddle. She always gives big hugs and kisses. I also love how independent she is. She loves to explore and wants to do so by herself. Last night we were at a ward function at a house with a fenced off front yard. The whole party Kesley would crawl from end to end of the fence all by herself. She wanted nothing to do with us because there was too much to learn and do. She loves to be outside, loves to feed herself, and loves her baby and bunny.
I still can not believe that I am a mom and that Ethan is a dad. It just seems like Kelsey is this fun toy that we get to have around all the time to make us happy and more patient people. I mean there are those days when it is too much fun, and too much togetherness but those days or few compared to the days that she just brings joy and happiness into our lives. It is fun to start to see her personality. I can't wait to get to know her better. At the rate that this year went by, that will be sooner than I want to admit.

The celebrations were endless this past week. My dear friend Katie shares a birthday with Kelsey and so on Wednesday we had all the girls and kiddos get together for some cake and treats. I have the best friends in the world.

On Saturday we had both families gather for a luau in the park! It was a gorgeous day and our group was big enough that we scared away everyone else who was at the park. the best party was probably how much Kelsey HATED her cupcake. I mean HATED!!! We gave her a bite and she started to cry. We gave her another bite and she spit it out after making a sour face. We then put some frosting on a strawberry which she proceeded to pick off to eat the strawberry plain. I don't know who's child I stole, but this sugar hating child is not mine! After a few gifts, kickball, and a walk around the park Kelsey was done and done!


Kelsey getting ready for her party!

 The party...
 and before everyone gets all Pinterest on me I need to let my pride get in the way. The flip flop cookies were indeed a Pinterest find but that's it! Granted I know that they are the most cleaver and cutest item at the party but still.  I have a very strong love hate relationship with Pinterest and so I always feel like I need to share my original ideas. Some say its a prideful issue and they might be right! Oh and I copied Shara's banner idea because that was super cute!

 The people...

Presenting the cupcake ...

 Attempting to eat the cupcake...

 We are terrible parents! I mean what parents let their kids eat a cupcake! Outrageous!!!

Presenting the strawberry with frosting...

 Ending with a strawberry and NO frosting!!!

 Done!!!

 and Done!!

On Sunday Ethan and I got to skyper Poppa and Grandma Nelson while Kelsey opened up her presents. Like most one year olds she liked the paper and boxes way more than what was inside, but it was fun for us none the less. I do have to say though that she loved her baby and new books. She sat reading her books and holding her baby for about 20 min. It was super cute. After a good long nap (HOORAY!!!) we attemped the cupcake again. Take two was much better. She actually tried some and didn't spit it out and realized that if you push your hand on top of the whole thing it will crumble. We did end this attempt in tears so I don't know, maybe she is just not ours. After the cupcake we did try a fruit smoothie which she loved so that made us feel better.

What girl doesn't love new dresses, books, and bibs! These are from multiple people. I promise we didn't spoil her THAT much!

 Reading to her new baby

 Playing with dad..

 Smoothie attempt!

 Cupcake take two!

It was such a fun few days for us. We are so blessed to have Kelsey in our lives and are so grateful that she is a happy and healthy baby. We love you Kelsey and can't wait for your future birthdays!

California

Yesterday we decided to take on the challenging state of California. I say challenging because you tell me what food BEST represents California? Seafood? Check. Chinese? Check. Disney themed food? Check. Avocados, oranges, fruits? Check, Check, Check. I mean seriously. How many restaurants have started in California?! with all that in mind we decided to copy a salad from Cheesecake Factory. It had a great mix of veggies, Cheesecake Factory started in California, and it had a great mix of a lot of California foods up and down the coast. We also decided to shy away from seafood only because so many other states have seafood dishes. We made BBQ chicken salads. Ethan did the presentation on this one and I think it turned out spectacular. It tasted spectacular too!

Lagoon Day

 

I feel like every weekend lately has had so much fun memories to document. Friday May 31st was Overstocks annual Lagoon day! The first year that we worked at Overstock Ethan got terribly motion sick, the second year I was having a baby, and the third year did not disappoint with a day of fun. On Thursday Ethan was able to get two extra tickets from a co-worker and so Reo and Holden were able to go with us which made the whole experience so much more fun. It was Holden's first time at Lagoon and he reminded us almost every single ride. "This is my first time on the...(enter any ride here). It just got funnier and funnier.
We got to Lagoon around 12, partied hard, ate lunch with the Nelson's at 2:30, took Kesley to Julies for a 3 hour nap (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Julie), then at 6:30  I took Carson, Skyler, and Holden on kiddy rides while the adults rode together. Then once we got Kelsey back Ethan took Kelsey and Carson on the kiddy rides while I rode with Scott, Karolyn, and Skyler on the spider and some other big rides. Reo and Holden "had to leave at 7" because that was the time Holden designated :)
Some very funny highlights to me:
Riding the music ride with Scott
Skyler almost crying because we got to skip to the front of the line of Wicked if he rode in a booster
Holden asking to hold Skylers hand during Bombora and Skyler agreeing
Carson, Skyler, and Holden assigning ride buddies to everyone in our group
All the 25+ group acting like they are so old with motion sickness, headaches, and feet aches. (okay not funny but a memory I wanted to save)
Spinning like crazy on the Spider with Karolyn, Scott, and Skyler 

It was a great day and  probably our last Overstock Lagoon day.