ELIZA'S ONE YEAR!

So, I know this blog update is late! (I think I am in denial that my baby Eliza has actually turned one!) She is such a big girl, she is just growing up so so fast! We had a few parties for her to celebrate her GOLDEN BIRTHDAY! She is so much more attentive these days, she is a sponge absorbing everything!  She is great at imitating everything she sees us do.  She has started to say a few more words, (especially food related words such as "banana", "m&m's, and, "snack") she likes to tell everyone to "come here" by motioning with her little hand, and she loves to give kisses/blow kisses. She is still very active and somewhat fearless despite taking a few hard falls.  She loves loves loves to play dress ups all the time!

She also likes to "help" mom in the kitchen by unloading all of the drawers and spreading the things she finds all over the house! We have to keep a close watch on the garbage because she loves to throw things away.  We haven't seen our phone charger for a few weeks and are thinking she may be the culprit, (but innocent until proven guilty)  She is so sweet, one of her favorite things to do is to find Mila's stuffed owl and pick it up and take it to her! She loves coming into nursery with grandma, me, and Mila and fits right in with the 2-3 year olds.  She and Mila are starting to be better friends and are both becoming more strong willed! I have had to intervene in their little sibling dominance battles more often lately and it is definitely not always Mila starting it, or putting up the biggest fight! Watch out world, here comes ELIZA JANE the ONE YEAR OLD!!!

FIRST PONYTAILS!

Mila is also doing great! She started potty training about a month ago, and has done awesome! She still gets a little bit nervous about public restrooms, but overall she loves the independence that comes with being able to get herself to the potty.  (and the extra treats/prizes help too!) She is talking like crazy, her new nickname is "miss bossy pants" she likes to tell everyone else what to do especially Eliza.  But, I have to admit she is actually becoming more helpful.  I love to see even more of her personality come out as her ability to communicate improves.

We just finished her "big girl bed" and "big girl bedroom" at my parents house and she is loving having her own space. (And we are loving having our bed back!) haha! Both her and Eliza still love to sing and dance all the time.  I love them both so much, and love just watching them grow little by little every day! I was at work yesterday and pulled a binkie out of my purse (we call them "nee-nee's" at our house) anyways, I thought to myself, wow I know I am really going to miss this stage of life in a couple of years!

So as for us, we have had a pretty good few months here in Utah, everything is going great! We have decided to stay at my parents for a while longer in order to save some $.  We found out that JEFF passed the BAR! WOO-HOO!  I Can't describe how great that feels! He gets sworn in next month! I am so so proud of him.

 I am still working at TOSH (The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital) 1 day a week and that is going good so far.  Overall I would say we are on track and heading in the right direction! I am loving life with These crazy people I call family!

ONZE (AND MILA TURNED 2!)

Let me start with Eliza's 11 month update. It was a big month for this little thing. This month she has mastered WALKING! WOO-HOO so proud of her! She is cruising all over the place and has started getting into everything! She loves pulling things out of drawers, off shelves, out of cupboards.  She is so proud when she brings random things and hands them to me, I say "thank you" then hand them right back and she gets a little confused.  it is so cute!  She likes singing and dancing, this month my mom got called as nursery leader so we get to play with her in nursery on sundays and we taught the kids "head, shoulders, knees and toes" I think Eliza likes it more than any of the other kids!  She even tries to do the actions but a lot of times falls over when she tries to touch her toes.  She is still a great eater and loves to try new foods.  I can't believe she will be a 1 year old next month! LOVE MY LITTLE 'LIZA JANE!

 

This month we welcomed home ELDER CRABTREE (AKA "UNCLE MIKE") Mila was born about 1 week after Mike left so he had seen pictures but this was the first time he got to meet his nieces in person! It was awesome getting to pick him up at the airport, we sure missed him and are glad to have him home!

NEXT is MILA.. our favorite 2 YEAR OLD! Can't believe it!  We had a party at wheeler farm we had fun seeing all of the animals and taking a wagon ride. Mila especially loved the horses!  We had fun playing with friends, eating cupcakes, opening presents, and playing on the playground!

Mila is definitely starting to act like a 2 year old, she is discovering her ability to make choices and she is starting to realize that her actions have consequencs (good and bad) she is starting to really enjoy playing with other kids, especially her cousins! She has gotten herself into a little bit of trouble by being a little bit "mean" (on accident I'm sure) to Eliza, we are working on controlling and understanding our emotions a little bit better.  Sharing is a new concept as well now that she is playing with other kids a lot more.  She is getting the hang of it.  Her speech has just exploded this month, she loves talking to anyone who will listen to her.  She can sing all the words to "twinkle-twinkle little star" and had a full phone conversation with me while I was at work last week, she even told me what she ate for lunch and said "I love you" and "bye-bye" before getting off the phone.  She is very sensitive and sweet, she likes to give hugs and kisses.  I LOVE HER SO MUCH and I am excited to continue to watch her grow! 

We had a great day at the zoo with Grandma Diane and Heather and her kids, Kyle, Colby, and Lexee. We are proud new membership card holders at Utah's Hogle zoo (Thanks to a birthday present for Mila from grandma Tami) and plan to visit often throughout the year!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Mila and Eliza love both of their Grandpa's! And REALLY REALLY LOVE their DAD! (So do I! we are lucky to have such awesome dads!)

As for us, Jeff has been super busy this month working and studying for the bar (he will take the bar exam the end of July! woo-hoo!)  I think in last month's update I said we had put an offer on a house. Well, bad news- we weren't able to get a loan because they want to see more of Jeff's past income so we are going to keep hanging out at my parents for a few more months until we can get enough "proof of income" to qualify for a loan.  We are ok with that though we love playing with grandma and grandpa every day and this will give us a good chance to save up some money.   Everything is going great we are headed in the right direction and we are working/playing hard!