Cute laughter

I have always loved making Cosette laugh. She can laugh until she can hardly breathe. She has a growing variety of laughs too. So I am sharing a short video I captured of her laughing. I have played this video many times just to put a smile on my face. Enjoy.

Trip to Colorado

Cosette and I took a trip to Colorado last month to go to the wedding of my former college roommate and very good friend, Karen Palmer (now Karen Schmidt).
Here are Karen and Martin coming out of the temple. Aren't they just glowing?
Here are a few pictures on the temple grounds.
Here are the newlyweds with Karen's sister Ruth and her family. They actually drove out from Utah with their newest edition to the family - he was only 1 1/2 weeks old at the time. I'm very impressed they made it.
What a good big brother!
Here's the cute outfit that Cosette wore for the wedding. (I'm not sure why the website turned the picture sideways...)
Cosette fell asleep on the car ride from the temple to the luncheon at Olive Garden.
She woke up before the luncheon was over, however. Here's Karen's grandma holding Cosette while I got ready to feed her.
They let Cosette play with Karen's train. I thought it made a really cute picture.
Let me just share a few more tidbits. Karen's family arranged for me to stay at the home of someone in their ward. This couple was actually on vacation, so they left a key with the Palmers. The first night I was there it was just me and Cosette. When we got to the house that night it was really hot because the air was off. I turned the air on, but it was taking a while to cool things down. Since there was no one else in the house and it was really stuffy, I was just wearing my garments as I got ready for bed.
Well, someone rang the bell to the front door. I had no intention of answering it because I wasn't clothed, and I didn't live there. The bell only rang once, so I ignored it. Well, a few minutes later I thought I could hear someone moving around downstairs. Needless to say, I was a little creeped out. So I crept out to the landing and looked down the stairs, but all of the lights were still off down there and I couldn't see anything. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until I checked, so I called out "Is anyone there?" and turned on the lights on the stairs.
Well, a man came walking around the corner to the bottom of the stairs and I yelled and darted back to the bedroom (mind you, I was still only wearing my garments). He yelled too and ran back out of sight. My heart was pumping pretty fast, let me tell you.
Fortunately, he called an apology up the stairs for scaring me and explained that he was their son-in-law. He was there to drop off a car that he was borrowing. He had been told that there would be someone staying there and rang the bell to let me know he was coming in, but I hadn't answered the door.
Whew! I was both relieved and a bit embarrassed. But it sure makes a good story!
The other two nights were much less eventful. And I was joined by Janene, another former roommate. It was fun having some girl talks late at night. I'm also grateful that Janene took a lot of pictures - most of them on this post are from her camera.
Overall it was a good trip and I'm really glad we went.

Life is Good

What a cutie! Cosette still can't quite sit up on her own yet, so I like to prop her up on the couch in between the cushions.
Below is a more serious face. I'm always trying to catch her smiling, but I like this shot, too.
I just had to share a bathtub hair picture. Cosette LOVES her bath time. She usually cries when I take her out. And don't you love her beautiful red eyes? She definitely gets that from her momma. Can you see why I like to take pictures without flash whenever possible?
Cosette has had a few firsts recently. Last week she rolled over from back to front for the first time (but there have been no repeat performances).
This week she got her first tooth. It's barely poking through and is quite sharp to the touch (she really loves sucking on my fingers).
I've actually been dreading the "teething stage," but she's done just fine so far. If anything, she's actually been happier the past couple of days.
Here's a video I think you'll enjoy. I love her laugh! And she's laughing a lot easier these days, which is a lot of fun for Jeff and I.

Well, overall life is good. I really love being a stay-at-home mom.
Lately I've been working on organizing and cleaning. I made a list of things I want to do on a weekly basis, and another list of things I want done on a monthly basis. I then sit down and plan out each week (I used to have set days to do things, but I found that too rigid and difficult on weeks when I needed to run errands or go to the doctor). I use a weekly organizer that goes on my fridge to keep track of my to do lists. I usually end up with 3-4 tasks for each day, a mixture of weekly and monthly tasks.
I've felt a real sense of accomplishment being able to cross things off my list throughout the day. I also enjoy having a cleaner home. I used to be terrible about cleaning my bathrooms on a regular basis. Now I do it weekly, like I know I should have been doing all along, and it's so much better! I also really enjoy finding odd jobs to do that don't usually get done. For example, I washed my front door. Man, was it dirty! But it was such a satisfying job seeing all that dirt come off.
So yeah, life is good. I have a cute daughter, a wonderful home, and an amazing husband. My days are happy, full, and fulfilling. I feel truly blessed!

Trip to Tracy Aviary

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Tracy Aviary with Jeff's sister Rachel and her 4 kids. Jeff took the last few hours off of work so he could join us. We called it a "daycation."
We were hoping to do the Amazon Adventure that Jeff and I did a few years ago, where you go inside an enclosure and get to feed parrots. Unfortunately, all of the tickets were sold out. But we still had a fun time.
I loved walking around and looking at the different kinds of birds. Birds are some of my favorite animals, because I had a pet bird when I was growing up.
We also attended a show about bird eggs. Audrey was selected to help feed an emu, which was pretty cool. Then they did a demonstration where they smashed a chicken egg. It took almost 50 pounds to do it! When we talked to the worker at the end of the show, we found out that this batch of eggs is weak - she said that it usually takes about 95 pounds to smash it. My favorite part of the show was at the end when they had a bird (I can't remember if it was a falcon or a hawk) swooping back and forth over our heads. It flew right by my cheek!
A few minutes after the show ended it started raining, along with thunder and lightning. We stayed indoors at an exhibit next to the amphitheater. While we were there, Cosette started getting a little restless. Here's a picture of Jeff entertaining her:
The rest of us started getting restless being cooped up inside, so we went outside to an area covered by a tent. It was still raining, though, so we waited a few more minutes before walking around to see the other exhibits. While we were waiting for the rain to clear up, we made a few videos with Cosette for entertainment.
Audrey is the one playing peek-a-boo. Madeline is just out of sight to the right, and I think the big smile on Cosette's face was for her. At the end of the clip Jonathan pokes his head around to say hello.

It was a fun dacation. Oh, and one more thing: I learned that Pixar probably used the cry of a peacock for Kevin the bird in the movie Up, because they sounded just like him!

Reading with daddy

For a while, Cosette didn't enjoy her tummy time. I know that it's important for her, so she can exercise her muscles and become more mobile, so I looked for ideas online to help make it more enjoyable for her. One website suggested putting a book in front of them, and it's worked great!

Here are a few things I love about this video clip:

• You get a great view of the bald spot on the back of her head


• I think her interest in the book is really cute, like she's actually reading it


• It's adorable when her neck gets too tired to hold her head up and she rubs her face in the blanket

Who does Cosette look like?

A lot of people love to tell us how much Cosette looks like her daddy, or how much she looks like her mommy. Some say that she got her eyes from me, some say from Christine.
Well, we don't know which features she gets from whom, but one thing is for sure: We think Cosette got my mouth. Here is the evidence.

What do you think?

To daddy, love Cosette

Dear Daddy,
Happy Father's Day! I wanted to let you know what a special and wonderful daddy you are to me.
I loved you from the very first time I lay eyes on you, and I knew you loved me too.
Thank you for all of the wonderful things you do for me. Thank you for letting me sleep in your room for the first 6 weeks of my life and interrupt your sleep. I know it was hard for you to get up and change my diapers when you were so tired, but I was so grateful to be near you!
Thank you for continuing to wake me up in the morning while mommy gets ready to feed me. It's one of my favorite times of the day, just like it is for you! I get so excited when I hear your voice and see your face peek over the edge of the crib. I just can't contain my joy, and I have to kick and wave my arms to show you how much I love you!
Thank you for being a worthy priesthood holder. I'm grateful that you were able to give me a name and a blessing.
I miss you when you're gone during the day, but I'm so grateful that you work hard and provide for us so that mommy can stay home with me all day.
Thank you for playing with me, talking to me in silly voices, and making me smile and laugh. Thinking about you just makes me so happy!
I love going on walks with you. I always feel safe and secure in your arms.
I love when you read stories to me. I love cuddling in your arms.
I love you so much. Thank you for being such a great daddy to me.
Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Love,
Cosette