Happy Birthday Mia!

I realized today that it's possible that birthdays are more for the mom than the child. Everytime I look at Mia today I think about being pregnant with her and the moment she was delivered and bringing her home from the hospital and how she changed our lives. I love having a day to remember it all!

These are the things that stand out about 1 year old Mia:

-She really is a monkey; we have to securely strap her into everything or she will get/fall out. Grocery store carts are dangerous because the buckles aren't enough to keep her down. She turns around in the seat, stands halfway up and growls at people (happily). Plus she gets into EVERYTHING. Her latest game is to throw things into the toilet when I'm not looking. Our bathroom is a constant disaster.
-The growling definitely gets attention. She does it all the time!
-Blayne says she's like me because she's so happy for the most part, but goes from calm to screeching in no time.
-Her first word was "Dada" and the only other word she's added is "Daddy." She absolutely loves her daddy and he is completely wrapped around her finger. When I tell him that she's driving me crazy, he says, "I cannot believe that little angel would do anything wrong."
-She's very clingy.
-She's little (or at least she looks it). People always say, "How old is she? Like 8 months?" But the truth is, she's right on track for her age.
-She completely holds her own with Darek.
-She is happy to laugh or smile for anyone who will look her way.

She is our little angel and we are absolutely in love with her!

 

 
 
 

Shout out to a local business

Last week I was at a convention and met Bart, the owner and man behind the idea of Tech Time Rentals (by Wal-Mart on Hitt Rd.). I thought his concept was such a great idea and I think it's important to support local businesses, so here's the deal:

You can rent all kinds of electronics and other items from Tech Time at a very low rate. For example:

Portable DVD players: $12/day or $22/week
Cricut machine: $20/day
Cricut cartridges: $5.50/3 days
All kinds of Canon and Nikon camera lenses and accessories: $7.50-$45/day

There's GPSs, Game systems, Computer equipment, and all kinds of other stuff. Check out their website for more information and items you can rent: http://www.techtimerentals.com/index.html

Like I said, let's support local businesses!

He's Mad

Darek's totally into emotions lately. When I get irritated he says, "You're mad at me?". And then I can't be mad cause it's so cute. He tells me that he's mad at least once a day and makes the face below. He regularly asks me if I'm happy, sad, or scared. I love it. It makes me feel like he's a little man.
Today he told me he wanted a Crabby Patty for lunch after watching Spongebob and he told me that he wanted to go to the moon on a rocket ship (oh, the influence of television). He's also started drawing on himself with markers and telling me that he's a robot or a tiger (depending on what he sees when he looks in the mirror after he's done drawing on his face).
 

Mia's rockin' this Pebble's ponytail everyday 'cause that's all her hair can handle. This is the face she makes to be funny.
 

Nothing new, but we're all happy and healthy. The earthquake in Haiti has really been on our minds as Blayne and I both served missions in the Dominican Republic which borders Haiti and is home to many Haitians. One of the greatest new members I met on my mission was a Haitian man we called Cloudy. He was educated and a deep thinker. The Dominicans were very hard on Haitians - in Cloudy's neighborhood, there was one outhouse shared by a large group of people; they put a padlock on it so that Cloudy and other Haitians couldn't use it. Cloudy painted to earn money and could be found in his home (a concrete slab smaller than 100 sq. ft. with cardboard/scrap metal walls) painting nearly everyday. He'd take his paintings to the main tourist area of the country to sell them. The painting he gave me is my favorite item that I brought home. Haiti is a place where there was not even close to enough food and resources on any normal day. On top of that, third world countries don't have rescue teams, (legitimate) police forces, entitlement programs, homeless shelters, or other government resources. Any earthquake that might occur in the U.S. isn't even in the same realm as an earthqake occurring in Haiti. Just a reminder to think about what you can do to help those who are truly suffering.

And on a brighter note, this is a boy after his dad's heart: polishing up his piggy bank after he filled it with money.