Last half of March....

Apparently we were REALLY busy in the last half of March and first part of April. Either that or it just happens to be our pattern. We slow down on the blogging front when the weather gets nice.

So lets see...to catch you up...March definitely went out like a lamb..and yet somehow April started cold. It got very warm though. We spent time hiking with Grandma and Grandpa and lots of playing at Sand Hollow again even though the water was still almost too cold to really stand!

We filled up Baymax for the first time. It stung just a little.

It was actually so much fun at the lake that we went TWO days in a row!

We all got to try out Grandpa's new paddleboard that he got for Christmas! Aunt Becca helped teach me how to do it on my own.

That's Mom having some fun!

The ever advancing 16 month old

Guest post by Mom:

So I noticed that I didn't do a 15 month post for Iva. This is probably due to the fact that we skipped that appt at the doctor for her (with his permission!) So I don't really know how tall she is or how much she weighs. I think she is in the vicinity of 23 lbs. Although that might have changed in the last week because she got hit with a little GI bug that kept her appetite down and her diaper changes frequent and painful.

I do, however, need to document what the crazy little tike has been up to. Back in February, she got that HUGE goose egg on her head right before our Disney trip. I like to joke that it knocked something loose in her head because she started to babble all the time. She was kind of quiet before, but man since February she will TELL YOU STORIES. For the most part, there weren't words in there, but it was obvious she knew what she was telling you. Over the last four weeks, that has morphed into words and obvious sentences. She has also radically increased her signing vocabulary.

Here are my favorites:

If there is a chance she can get outside, she will sign "swing" and say it. She loves her new swing in our backyard. She also asks to "jump" on the trampoline. She kind of tries to sign this one.

"Aww done" and the sign.
"Gink" -drink..she has started trying to sign this one.
"I wan it" or "I wanna gink". It's kind of mumbled but it's pretty awesome.
"Uh uh" or "Uh huh" which I love. She doesn't say no or yes very often. She uses these instead.
"Buckle" This one has been new since we got Baymax. She asks to get in the car! She is actually obsessed with buckles. She plays with them on all the high chairs, strollers, car seats, shopping carts, etc.
"Momma" she hardly EVER said this and now she says it ALL the time. Be careful what you wish for!
"Gabby!" basically that means all dogs.
"Bish" and the sign for fish which she kind of does by squeezing her fingers in and out
"Bid" and the sign for bird
"Baby" and she LOVES to sign it
"choos" she signs "Shoes"
"apple" and she signs it
"code" which is actually cold and she signs it which is adorable
"dapper" for diaper
"Pease" with the sign for please
"More" with the sign also

Her favorite thing to watch and actually the only thing she will actually watch is Signing Time. Any volume. She loves them and asks to watch it by pointing up at the TV and waving each index finger and saying "Pease". She perks up at the slightest mention of Alex and Leah. Anytime you turn on the TV she expects Signing Time. It's been so fun because she really knows a lot of signs when she watches the movies. It's pretty impressive. I love it.

She also loves to sing "ashes, ashes" and play Ring around the Rosy specifically on the tramp, but she doesn't want to hold hands and do it. Everyone just spins on their own. She will do the actions along with "The Wheels on the Bus" which was a surprise to me.

Now I don't think I have written down all the words she says, but these were the ones that stuck out to me. It's been so fun.

She's kind of a walking disaster right now. She loves to climb on all chairs and tables. She has smacked her head in the same spot where the huge goose egg was three other times now. It might be permanently discolored. She doesn't sit still. At least less than my other two. She seems to be a bit more of a trouble maker....but she sure is cute...

Presenting....Baymax!

That, my friends and family is, Baymax. Our new van! We have been a one car family for 9 years and 7 months, the entirety of my parents' marriage. We are done with that! Mom and Dad were kind of planning on trading in our beloved Mozzy, but when it came down to it, they decided not to part with him.

It was a fairly impulsive decision on their part. They have discussed the need for a van ever since they were pregnant with Iva, but have put it off. They knew it was probably going to be this year and then bam! Wednesday we were at the dealership test driving Baymax and we went home with him.

We were there for a LONG TIME. I had to take some selfies.

But man, do we love the van already. It's so pretty! Or handsome..or just luxurious. Heavenly. Terrific. Everything we could have hoped for. It is two years old and clearly owned by people who did not have kids. It's too nice still.

In this picture of Dad driving, you can kind of see the neat leather working on the steering wheel. It was done by the last owners and looks like a pain to take off, but it turns out we really love it. It's very well done and makes our van unique.

Here's to many adventures with you, Baymax! Be gentle on us in the gas mileage department, your brother, Mozzy, has been very good to us!

Spring Time Adventures!

No more Disney posts. We promise. Well at least for maybe six months. You just never know about us. The weather here in St. George was crazy warm in February and then it cooled off as March began (and we had that snowstorm), but now it is behaving more like typical spring weather. Just enough to make you think summer is here.

We had spring break from school this last week. Mom loves it. She doesn't want school to start tomorrow. Oh well. Only something like ten weeks and we are done!

We have played at parks.

Gone hiking with Daddy...

Mom just wanted a nice picture of us. We weren't being very cooperative, but we were being very silly.

We played on the tramp and our playset in the backyard.

See...more parks.

We even went to the lake! The water was FREEZING, but the beach was perfect. (Mom sunburned Iva!)

Daylight Saving can be rough in the morning, but we sure love our evening sun. We get to just keep playing and playing.

Mom tried to have us recreate her engagement photo session.

Best of Princess shots...Best of Iva Part 2!

Once again, Iva proved to be a pro at meeting Princesses! Of course, Cara and I were the real stars, asking questions and answering them! 

Mom loves this picture of Cara talking to Anna because it's obvious (to mom) that Cara is touching her own Anna braids hoping that Anna will notice!

We got to meet Anna and Elsa twice this trip! Lucky we were always wearing Frozen outfits!

When we got to go the Fantasy Faire and meet the other princesses, Iva really started to shine! Looking at the camera and everything.

High fives for everyone!

We were so excited to meet Mulan!

Can we just stop and say, is this not the most perfect Aurora you have every seen? Iva loved her. (If you look carefully we actually met two Aurora's and two Cinderella's...note from Mom.)

Also we met the perfect Merida. She was funny and loud and happy.