Christmas Day

We went back to our house on Christmas Eve to make sure that Santa Claus would know where to find us. Leah was not entirely interested in the baby doll that he left her (note here that the baby doll is cast aside so Leah can fit in the stroller), but she loved the tea set and pretend food. We've had 13 tea parties a day since Christmas.

We headed back up to my parents house on Christmas Day, and ended up spending the night because the snow was really coming down!

It was a great holiday, and now we're getting ready for Leah's birthday tomorrow. In fact, it was two years ago at about this time today that I went home from work because I started feeling like maybe something was going to happen soon- and Leah was born 14 hours later!

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house- We had a lot of fun sledding the lazy way.

I told you this one was going on the blog! Leah got to sit at the big kid's table! I'm not sure what that face is- I think she's drunk with excitement!Leah's cousins sang the sweetest song about baby Jesus, and Leah wanted to be a part of it. Her cousin Sarah took Leah by the hand and helped her "sing along".I was a shepherd, and she was a very proud angel.

Temple Square

We went to Temple Square a few days before Christmas to see the lights and nativities. It was really cold and crowded, but you can see Leah loved it! Leah's favorite nativity was the one in the water.

Merry Christmas To All!

Love, Melanie, Jason and Leah

Let's Make This Quick

Saturday afternoon- We bake and decorate Christmas cookies. I notice that one too many balls of uncooked dough has made it's way into Leah's mouth.

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Sunday morning, 1:30 AM- Leah wakes us all up with a nervous "Mommeeee?" followed by a nice big throw up. Clothes and sheets are changed.

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Sunday morning, 3:00 AM- Leah has finally fallen asleep in my bed, Jason is on the couch.

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Sunday morning, 9:00 AM- Leah is thrilled to finally be wearing her "perfect" Christmas dress, shoes and hair band. She is a zombie at church.

Sunday evening, 7:00 PM- Leah goes to sleep.

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Sunday evening, 9:00 P- 11:00 PM- Leah wakes up. She's thirsty/tired/hungry/cold/needs a back scratch and/or new pajamas.

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Monday morning, 1:00 AM/1:15 AM/2:30 AM/3:00 AM- REPEAT

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Monday morning, 6:00 AM- I give up. We're up for the day.

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Monday afternoon, 12:30- Naptime is finally here. I'm going to bed.

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Editor's note: 12:55 PM- Noises coming from Leah's room. I'm just going to pretend I can't hear anything.

Snow Day!

tough stuff!

We bundled up and played in the freshly fallen snow today. I think this picture has more to do with the fact that Leah is finally only taking one nap a day- we're going on two days now!- and we're both suffering from the change (sigh)- than the fact that we were headed out into the frozen tundra.

Our tiny little snowman.

I have a major fear of getting snow-blinded, so we are year-round sunglass wearers.

Christmas Fun

We rode on Santa's train a few days ago, and while Leah was happy to see Santa Claus, she had no interest in actually meeting him. Fine by me. I think we're both still sufficiently traumatized by the Easter Bunny of '08.

Is she waving at Santa? Nope. It was a giant ice cream cone.

'Taking a picture' with my phone.

Who's in charge around here?

Conversations around here are taking a turn for the worse.

Scene: Leah spilled something.

Me: Who made this mess?

Leah: Leah

Me: So who's going to clean it up?

Leah: Mommy clean it up.

Scene: Leah and Jason were playing in the living room while I was cooking dinner, and I went in to check out the fun.

Leah: Stay, Mom (pointing to the kitchen). Cook.

I think it's time to give the child a few more responsibilities around here!

Deck the Halls

We got our Christmas tree this past week. Now it's offfically Christmas around here. We picked out the right tree, decorated it, and now our home smells great and looks very festive.

The end.

Where do they learn these things?

Mother Offers Finger Painting, Pleads Temporary Insanity

Actually, it went pretty well. Leah was thrilled, and it was so quiet in the kitchen for a good ten minutes. That would have made any messes completely worth it, but there really weren't any. Leah was a very responsible painter.

Happy Birthday, Handsome!

To my sweet husband, who continues to amaze me with your talents, patience, love and faith. You are the best husband and father for Leah I could have asked for. I love you!

Lost in Translation

I lost my keys somewhere in Denver. And since I haven't taken the time to make a new set yet, Jason and I have been "sharing" his. A few minutes after he left this morning, I realized that he had taken them with him. Yikes! That means a day of not going anywhere or doing anything, because I can't drive the car or even lock up the house! I nervously told Leah, "Daddy took the keys!"

And being my sweet little parrot, she echoed, "Daddy's stuck in cheese!"

Ummm.... let's hope not.

Jason, if you're reading this, call me!

Christmas Confusion

We started decorating the house today. So far, Leah thinks that this guyis the same as this guy, and this

is the same as this.

She's also decided that this Joseph

is Joseph Smith

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for a great Thanksgiving and a safe trip to and from Denver

Finger Paint

Fun in-laws who give Leah lots of attention

A funny husband who can drive in the snow

A sweet little tiny who keeps growing

(Dec 2007)

and growing

(May 2008)

and growing!

(Nov 2008)

Naptime Conversation

Me: Good night, my little chickadee. I love you!
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Leah: (with hand clasped over heart and confused look on her face)
No, Mom! It's me!
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Me: Oh! It's Leah?
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Leah: Yeah, it's me! No chickie...
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Glad we cleared that one up.

Getting There

I have a husband named Jason- remember him? He doesn't get a lot of time on this blog because, let's face it, he's just not as entertaining or cute as Leah. No offense, of course. But he is about to make life really interesting for all of us, because he's started applying to PhD programs! He'll be done with his Masters in Genetics and Biotechnology next summer, and then it's off to more school for all of us. We've always known the day would come when we moved away from good ol' Utah, and it is rapidly approaching!

I'm thrilled, of course, being the dutiful military child I was raised to be. However, military life also means you are told where you're moving to and for how long, whether you like it or not. This time around, I get a say. I'm a little baffled, but very excited. We've narrowed it down to 5 schools, listed here in no particular order.

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

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University of Minnesota, St. Paul

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Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

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North Carolina State University, Raleigh

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Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

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Jason has a good chance of getting into any of these schools. He's getting a Masters in Genetics, he's working with cutting edge technology, and despite what I might have said above, he is actually quite cute. And apparently he's pretty smart and very good at what he does. We don't talk about these things around our house, as our conversation is generally focused on poops and sleep. We'll have to see what each school has to offer, and find the one that is best for our family.

Any thoughts on our choices? Likes or dislikes from personal experience? I'll try to keep the blog updated on our decisions as we go.

These pictures are all from Jason's various projects at BYU.