Reese's fun weekend without mom and dad...

As mentioned, my parents came into town last weekend to watch Reese. Arnold and I had a fun little get away, unfortunately I got sick and we spend most of our trip in the hotel room. Arnold took good care of me though. And it was nice to rest and be sick without having to run after a little one.

Reese on the other hand, had a great time hanging out with grandma and grandpa as well as her cousins. She was so good for them; taking all her naps and going to bed with no problems.

I think she missed us a little though. When we got home she wouldn't let me out of her sight for the whole day.

Here are some fun pictures of Reese's weekend.

Hanging out with grandma at Riley and Mycol's house.

Reese found hours of enjoyment going through grandma's purse, one item at a time.

Having a baby is good for your self esteem!

My parents were in town this weekend. They volunteered to watch Reese so we could have a little romantic get away. They hadn't seen her for a few months. Since that time Reese's little personality has really developed and is now shining through more and more each day. That being said, my parents confirmed what I already suspected; Reese is a little replica or her mommy in personality and spirit.

That confirmation made me think. How could I look at my perfect little baby who I love more than life it self, who makes me smile a million times a day, who I wouldn't change a thing about, know that she is just like me, and not love myself just a little more.

That's when I decided; having a baby who is just like you...can be good for your self esteem!

10 months!

I'm in denial today. I can't believe that Reese is 10 months old. I can't believe that I've started planning her 1st birthday party. I can't believe that my baby has started walking and that she exerts her independence more and more each day. I can't believe that at this moment she is quietly sitting watching Sesame Street. Wasn't she born just a few days ago??? If I could I would stop time.

A few things to remember about 10 months old...

-Reese's little personality seems to be shining through more and more each day. She is a lot like her mommy at this age. Stubborn, independent, and a whirl wind of activity.

-She's still taking two naps a day, although her morning nap seems to be getting smaller and her afternoon nap longer. She still sleeps through the night from 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. She has always been a really good sleeper.

-She started walking all by herself the other day. She's a little wobbly and will still opt for crawling when she wants to get somewhere fast. She will only walk when she wants to and will never perform on demand...I did mention that she is stubborn right?

-She has also started climbing things. She climbed up on top of her high chair the other day. She tries to use the drawers of the cabinet as stairs up to the TV and then this morning I caught her using our step stool to climb up on the kitchen counter. As a result of all this climbing, she is quickly learning the law of gravity. The good news is that she can now climb off the couch all by herself.

-Reese loves cooking with mommy. If I am cooking she has to sit on the counter to watch and help me. She loves it when I let her help me pour measured ingredients into the bowl.

-She loves music. Anything with a good beat. She can really get her groove on.

-Reese drinks out of a straw. I had to buy all new sippy cups; the straw kind. Once she learned how to drink out of a straw, she didn't want anything to do with her other sippy cups. I'm not sure why.

-Reese loves being outside. She goes to the front door and pounds on it, yelling what I can only imagine is "Outside, Outside..I want to go outside!" When we have to come in from outside, it's not a pretty picture.

-Which brings me to another little fact about our 10 month old Reesey, she is the master of fit throwers! When something doesn't go the way she wants, Reese will throw herself onto the floor and kick and scream. She rolls onto her tummy and buries her head in the carpet giving the most pathetic fake cry. She looks up every now and then to see if we're watching. When we ignore her,
she gives up. We have to try really hard not to laugh. But it's pretty funny, for now anyway.

- Reese has moved to a forward facing car seat, and both Reese and I love it. I love seeing her and she is so much happier seeing the world as it passes by.

-And last but not least, for my own personal records...We've started introducing Reese to whole milk. She gets about a third of whole milk in every bottle. We're almost ready to go to half. So far, so good. She seems to handle it fine.

All in all we are just in love with our little monkey. She is such a strong willed and feisty little person, and as frustrating as that can and probably will be through the years, I wouldn't change a thing about her. I love that she is determined and independent. As my grandmother used to tell my mother with regards to me, all you have to do is aim all that energy in the right direction and she will go far.

Reese reading with daddy. Reese loves to read books.

Pool Day!

Today Reese and I went to the new Lindon Pool with all our neighborhood friends. Reese absolutely loved it! We've taken her swimming a couple times, but the Lindon pool had a whole shallow baby area where Reese could play and roam all by herself. Reese reminds me so much of Logan and Mycol (my niece and nephew). She thinks she can swim already. Even in the deeper water, she wanted me to let go of her. No fear what so ever. It will be interesting to see how she likes the Mommy and Me swimming lessons we're starting next week.

Today I also gained a whole new appreciation for my mom. She used to take us to the pool every day during the summer. We would swim for hours! After 1.5 hours with Reese I was wiped out. I can't even imagine 4 kids in the water, hanging all over you, every day, all day, all summer. You're my hero mom!!

Reese kept putting her face right over the water. She thought it was funny.

Reese playing in the water with Cohen Vohs. Cohen and Reese were born just 3 days apart.

Thanks for lunch Uncle Kit!!

My brother Kit used to work for a local radio station. Every now and then they still call him for help, when they're in a bind. He worked the 4th of July and they paid him with a lot of random concert tickets and gift certificates. He got $150 in gift certificate to Paradise Bakery, so he took us all to lunch today. Reese had a good time hanging with her cousins.

You can't really tell, but Riley had just given Reese her fist taste of soda. She gave the funniest face, but we didn't quite catch it.

Walking with Mycol. We actually had a bit of a milestone yesterday. Reese has been walking with help, for a couple months now. She will also stand for long periods of time all by herself. Several weeks ago, she started walking, just holding on to one of our fingers. But yesterday Reese took two solo steps all by herself. She probably would have kept going, but I freaked out and it startled her so she fell.

Reese loves Riley and Mycol. But she's terrible at posing for pictures with other people. Little stinker won't look at the camera with out moving.

Playing with Riley and Aunt Jen. Good Times!

Caught ya!

This is something I've been trying to catch on camera for awhile. Uncle Kit comes over every day to use the computer, as he doesn't have the Internet at his house.

Reese loves to stand or sit by Kit and play with either his shorts, shoes, or his wallet chain. The chain is the funniest! She yells while yanking it up and down. You probably have to be here, but it's pretty hilarious. So every time I get out my camera to take a picture, the camera suddenly becomes Reese's focus.

Anyway, I snuck up on her today and finally caught her. It's not the best one, but it works.

The mischief never stops...

Reese decided she wanted to play in her toy drawer this morning, something she hasn't done for some time. After pulling the majority of her toys out, she wanted to climb in the drawer. Last time she did this it almost broke the drawer and she hurt herself, so I pulled the drawer out so she could climb inside safely. That was a mistake, suddenly, the drawer was no longer the interesting part...


She thought climbing in was pretty fun, until she couldn't get out. Poor kid!

Sundance Moon Lift

Arnold and I went up to Sundance last night to do the annual "Moon Lift" ride. It was a fun little date for us, and Sundance was beautiful. It reminds me why I love living in Utah.

Arnold took his $3,000 work camera to get some pictures for the CVB Website. I couldn't believe what a great job that camera does. Check out this picture of the moon, taken in complete darkness.

Me and Arnold, self shot.

Ok, I took this picture with my camera and it turned out really blury, but I thought it was kind of cool.

These are some more shots Arnold took, pre-photoshop. I thought he got some good ones.

We have to give a big thankyou to my neices Mycol and Riley for babysitting. I love you guys and so does Reese!

Goodbye Michael Jackson!

While in recent years I haven't been a huge Michael Jackson fan, my childhood "soundtrack" is full of his music. I can remember like yesterday when my dad bought my sister and I the "Thriller" album. I remember dancing around the living room to Beat It, PYT, and all the other great songs. I remember the release of the Thriller video on MTV. I gathered to watch it with all my friends for a Michael Jackson Party. He was an amazing performer and musician. I thought it rather tragic the downhill spiraled life he's lead the last 10+ years. I've thought how sad he must have been. I hope somehow somewhere he is finding some peace, and maybe even being taught the gospel. :)

But here's to the King of Pop. I worked out this morning to a Michael Jackson Mix on my ipod. Listening to his music I couldn't help but run a little faster with a smile on my face.

Helping Mommy!

I was cleaning our front porch today; Reese was my big helper.

I just love this little bum!

Weekend Recap...

We had a fun 4th of July weekend. I didn't get very many pictures, but we had a BBQ on Friday night with our neighbors and friends, the Lee's. Then later that night we watched a fun firework show, courtesy Cindy and Adam. Saturday we barbecued and enjoyed being together as a family. On Saturday afternoon Arnold had to work the CVB booth at the Stadium of Fire. Reese and I went to help a little. We weren't much help, but Reese had a good time hanging with daddy.

Reese after her 4th of July fajita dinner! She's actually laughing at daddy, making funny faces behind the camera.

For the life of me I couldn't get a decent picture of Reese all day. She just wouldn't look at me.

Reese helping daddy at the Stadium of Fire. They offered us tickets, but honestly...somebody would need to pay me to go to the Stadium of Fire again. I just don't get it. Oh well.

A fun filled weekend is just beginning...

Tonight was our ward 4th of July party. They shut down a street over by our church and have a big "festival" like party. Great food, fun kid activities, a children's bike parade and fireworks. It was a great way to kick off the 4th of July weekend celebrations.

Reese and Daddy hanging out!

It rained a bit, but that didn't bother Reese. She got soaking wet and I had to run home to get her a change of clothes. She hardly noticed.

Reese got to see her first rainbow.

Bro. Magleby (bishopric member), getting ready to lead the kids bike parade.

All the kids decorated their bikes or scooters. The little girl in pink is our neighbor Drew. She looked so cute. I wish I could have gotten a picture of all our neighbor friends. Their bikes were so fun. But there were so many kids.

And off they go...

Reese thought all the bikes were pretty cool. Maybe next year she'll get to ride in the parade.

Reese's first snow cone. Do I eat it?? or do I drink it???

And the fireworks begin!

Reese was mesmerized by the fireworks. She couldn't take her eyes off of them. They were going off in 3 different locations and she loved it. After awhile she even started cheering and bouncing up and down. We were afraid that they would scare her...not our Reese. She may be a Thiebaud by name, but I tell you what...Arnold and I have decided that she is a Nordfelt in spirit. We have a little fearless dare devil on our hands. I'm a little worried.

Watching fireworks with daddy.