What baby nightmares are made of...

Not the big scary loud vacuum, not the hot noisy blow-dryer, not the barking dog, or being left alone in the dark; these are not the things my little Reesy is afraid of.

It's this scary contraption...


That’s right, Reese is terrified of door stops. How did we discover this? Yesterday she was off exploring the house (a new favorite activity that comes with crawling). I was working on the computer and only 5 feet away, when I was startled out of my concentration by a blood curdling scream. I jumped up and ran over to Reese. I couldn't figure out what had happened. There was nothing she could have done to hurt herself. I inspected her from head to toe trying to figure out what had happened. No injuries of any kind. Finally I noticed she had been crawling around the door stop. I bent down and hit the door stop and it made its normal "bong" sound; the screams began again. I couldn't help but laugh. I tried to get Reese to touch the door stop and show her that it wasn't scary, but she was clinging to me so tight and sobbing into my shoulder. Poor thing...who knew a door stop could be so terrifying.

This morning I tried to get her to touch it again, so she can learn that there's nothing to be afraid of. She started to get apprehensive at the mere sight of the thing. I touched it and she started to hyperventilate. At least there were no screams. I assume eventually she will learn...door stops are our friends.

Note to self...

Never put your extremely mobile child in white pants...unless you really want to be reminded how badly your floors need to be cleaned! I learned my lesson...it's definitely time to clean the house.

But she does look so cute.

Our Soccer Star

It feels like yesterday when my two little neices Riley and Mycol were born. And no matter how old they get I still can't help but see these two beautiful little faces when I look at them.


That's why it's so hard to believe that Riley can do this on the Soccer field. She's the one doing a flip while throwing the ball back in bounds. It's called a California Throw-in. She's quite the soccer star.





Riley will be 13 on the 26th of April and I find myself asking..."Where does the time go??" She's definately not little anymore, but still as beautiful as ever. Happy Birthday Riley! I love you!

First Big Girl Bath!

I feel like I've been posting like crazy lately. There's just been so many things going on and so many things I want to document for Reese. I am absolutely loving the 6 month + age. I feel like Reese does something new everyday. She is so much fun and her personality is shining through more and more. Arnold and I can play with her for hours and never get bored.

Reese has been ready to graduate from her baby bathtub for awhile now, but honestly I've been putting it off for a very selfish reason. I knew once she started taking a bath in the full size tub...it would just become another bath tub I would have to clean. The little one is so much easier to clean, I know, I know...I'm a selfish mom.

Anyway, the last few nights Reese has been trying to climb out of her baby bath tub so I decided I couldn't put it off any longer. She was definitely ready. You would have thought she was at her own personal water park. She had so much fun exploring the bathtub and splashing in all the water. I'm afraid the days of quickie 5 minute baths are ending. She has discovered what every child eventually does...bath time is serious play time!

Swings Revisited

We've been desperately waiting for another nice day to go to the park and swing. Yesterday was the day. It was a perfect family home evening activity. Reese had a good time.

Crewby Doo

My little brother Brady sent me some pictures of my nephew Crew last night. I was so shocked. Little Crew went from a baby to a little boy overnight! That probably has something to do with the fact that I don't see him very often, but I was still shocked. He's a handsome little devil.

I noticed something else as well. I think Crew is looking a lot more like his dad. I've always thought he looked more like Erika's family, but if you look at the two pictures below I'm seeing a lot more of his dad than I've ever seen before. A little darker hair and some bangs and there's definitely a resemblance.

I guess either way, he can't loose. He's got good looking gene's on both sides.

We love you Crew!

Crew, almost 3 years old.

Brady at 3 years old...I think? Mom, you'll have to tell me if I'm right?

First Easter

Reese had her first visit from the Easter Bunny! I was so excited for her to see what he brought her, but she didn't want to wake up this morning. She slept a hour longer than normal.

It was a good time for me to catch a picture of her new "stink bug" sleep position though.


The Easter Bunny was good to Reese. She got new PJ's and a fun basket. It had an alphabet book, alphabet magnet letters, eggs full of cheerios and yogurt melts, and a cute little pink and white stuffed bunny.


When she finally woke up, she was very excited and went right for the loot!


I had to post the next three pictures because they are so typical Reese right now. She went through her basket and gave everything the mandatory Reese taste test. She did eventually figure out how to open the eggs. I wish I had captured it on camera. She was so excited to find her favorite treats inside.




We were finally able to catch a picture of Reese standing up. We had to be very sneaky.

Look how big I am!

While we were cleaning out Reese's room today, she came across the moses basket that she slept in for the first 3 months of her life. Reese climbed right in and I realized just how fast my little baby is growing up.

Reese at 2 weeks old in her moses basket.


Reese at 7 months old playing in her moses basket.

Standing up!

The last week or so, Reese has started pulling herself up to things. This morning when I went to get her she was standing up in her crib, so we decided it was time to move the mattress down.

Thanks Daddy for doing all the work!


Reese checking out the new lower view.


Reese ready for bed. Now I don't have to worry about my baby falling out of her crib at night.

Road trip, a funeral and a cute little doggy!

We’ve had quit a busy and eventful week. About a week and a half ago Arnolds Uncle passed away. He and his wife were serving a mission in California and were scheduled to be released the end of this month. He started having some stomach pains one night while sleeping. He woke up and told his wife he was going to go sleep in the living room in the recliner to see if sleeping while sitting up would feel better. When his wife woke up the next morning, he had passed away. It was very sad, as it was so unexpected. But we have decided that there couldn't be a much better way to go than in your sleep on a mission. Jerry Moon had lived a good life and was very blessed.

The funeral was on Friday in Logan so we got to take a little road trip. We haven't traveled with Reese sense she was just a couple months old and pretty much slept the whole way. So this trip was a little more interesting. She did well all the way there. It was morning and her regular nap time. She slept for about an hour and played the rest of the way. Unfortunately the day was long and it was hard to keep her on her schedule. She decided not to sleep for the rest of the day. There were way too many people to watch and too much going on to sleep. Reese is quite the busy body these days and is afraid she's going to miss something. (I think she's like her Uncle Brady!) She did however get to play with her first doggy. Arnold's Aunt Judy brought her miniature chiwawa. Reese loved it!

As we headed home about 4:30, I thought for sure she'd sleep the whole way. I was wrong. She slept for about 20 minutes then was up and wanted out of her car seat. She was trying so hard to un-do her straps and if she were a little stronger she would have succeeded. The little munchkin knows exactly where to put her hands to un-do the straps. Needless to say it was a long ride home, especially as we ran into a lot of traffic and it took us about 45 minutes longer than normal. It didn't get me very excited about going on any road trips this summer.

When we got home Reese was a bundle of pent up energy, crawling in circles and getting into everything. She finally zonked out at about 8 p.m.

Reese playing with Aunt Judy and Gizzy (the dog)

Reese was like a crazed child when we got home.  I've never seen her so happy to be out of her car seat.  I had to snap a couple shots of her excitedly crawling on the floor.

She learned how to pant from the doggy!

Escape Artist

Thursday night was the Annual Easter Basket Auction. It's one of the events that I plan as part of my job. The event was a huge success with almost double the attendance from last year. We raised over $150,000 benefiting the Provo School Districts after school programs for underprivileged kids. Of the all the charity events that I plan, it's one of my favorite because it's open to the public and benefits kids. Arnold and I (I mean the Easter Bunny) bid and won the cutest Easter Basket for Reese. (Pictures to come on Easter morning.)

It's down in Provo and we had to be there by 6 p.m. so Reese and I decide to meet Arnold at his office and go from there. Now that Reese is very proficient in her mobility, she loves to explore everywhere we go. I try not to think about all the germs she's picking up as she crawls everywhere and then sucks on her hands...it's good for her immune system...right??

Anyway, this is Reese making an escape from her dad’s office. She's so funny. When ever she's crawling away from me, she stops every few feet and looks back at me with the sneakiest little smile or laugh. She knows she's on the run!

No Regrets!

Full time wife, full time mom, full time job, part time church calling...something had to give.  The days of spending 45-60 minutes a day blowdrying and fixing my hair are over.  It's gone and I must say...I have no regrets.

Seven Months!

Reese is 7 months old this week!

Things Reese can do:
*Sleep 12 hours a night.
*Eat solids and love them, especially green beans.
*Drink out of a sippy cup.
*Roll over both directions with extreme efficiency.
*Crawl everywhere and get into most everything.
*Move from crawling or lying on her back to the sit up position all by herself.
*Sleep on her tummy with her legs tucked under her and her bum in the air.
*Grow teeth :). She’s got two bottom teeth.
*Hum and pretend to sing. It's too cute.
*Jabber and squeal at all her favorite things.

Things Reese loves:
*Playing with toys.
*Playing with other little kids.
*Being thrown up in the air or haning upside down.
*Eating frozen Pineapple in her mesh feeder.
*Drinking from Mommy or Daddy's cups.
*Playing with Daddy's glasses.
*Singing with Mommy.
*Reading books.
*Watching Sesame Street. (I've tried the Baby Einstein stuff but they just don't hold her attention like Sesame Street.)
*Chewing on her shoes.

*Swinging at the park.  It's the new favorite.

Spring...you are my friend!

So my wish came true; yesterday and today have both been sunny and beautiful!! Yesterday I couldn't resist running outside, so I strapped Reese in her stroller and we took a little afternoon jog. As we passed the park and saw all the kids playing, I had to stop and let Reese get in on the action. She loves other kids. I put her in the baby swing and she had a blast. I couldn't believe the high pitched squeals coming out of my little monkey. The higher I pushed her, the more she squealed and laughed. (I can tell she's definitely got the thrill ride part of her mommy in her.) She had so much fun! I didn't have my camera but I took a few shots with my cell phone. Not the best quality, but it's the best I've got. We'll have to go back with a real camera and get some better pics.

In want of Spring

It's Friday! I've finished all my work projects for the week and I can't seem to motivate myself to start anything new. I should probably be working on the laundry, and I'm sure there's something in my house that needs to be cleaned or errands that need to be run. But I've opted to play on the floor with Reese. She's so much more entertaining and fun. However, I wish we could be playing outside; laying on the grass, soaking up the sun...oh yea...the grass is covered with snow and the sun is hiding behind lots of clouds, not to mention the fact that it's freezing outside. Oh Spring, I'm in want of your permanent arrival.

(Reese is not happy with the late and unpredictable arrival of Spring.)

My latest favorite baby thing...

I love that Reese eats solids now. It's so fun to have her eat with us and try all kinds of new foods. That's why this product is my latest favorite baby thing. It's a portable food mill that can turn anything we're eating into baby food.

I simply take the things we are eating for dinner and make them into baby food for her. Example: Tonight we had chicken and rice, green beans & mangos. I put each of the items into the mill and she ate what we ate. Obviously there are some things that don't quite translate into baby food, like tacos, hamburgers etc... But Arnold and I have been trying to eat really healthy lately so about 90% of our meals work really well. We eat a lot of lean protein, fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

The other great thing is that it comes with a little carrying case so you can take it to restaurants, grandma's house, or where ever.


(Click here for a link to the Kidco website. They have a lot of great baby products.)

I know it sounds very ambitious but I've been trying to make as much of Reese's baby food as possible. I like the idea of her eating fresh foods. Most importantly, I like the idea of her getting used to the taste of food I've prepared. That way when she transitions from baby food to table food, it will taste the same...it will just be whole.

My little humming bird...

I think I've mentioned in the past that part of our bedtime and nap time routine with Reese includes me singing to her. I always sing her a couple songs. It's really cute because she looks so intently, right into my eyes, as I sing. I would give anything to know what she's thinking. Usually by the end of the second or third song, her eyes start to get sleepy and close, then I put her into bed and she drifts off to sleep.

Well the last few days she has started singing with me. It's the most adorable thing I've ever experienced. Really it's more of a humming/moaning sound, but I think she's really trying to sing with me. It's so cute.

This is definitely just one of the experiences that make being a mom the best job in the whole world!

A new baby girl will soon be joining the family...

I am so excited to announce that my brother and sister-in-law are expecting a new baby girl.  It's official, assuming no mistakes on the ultrasound.  Kennedy Taylor Nordfelt (Kendy for short) is due this August.  We are so excited that Reese will have a little girl cousin close to her age.  Too bad they live so far away.

I can't wait to go "little girl" shopping with you Erika...welcome to a whole new world.  You're going to love it!!

And this little guys is going to be such a great big brother! Watch out anyone who try's to mess with his little sister.


(Crew Nordfelt)