A Month of Firsts (Part 2)...Climbing!

As previously mentioned, this has been a big month for Tori. So many new skills mastered and new things to do. About three weeks ago, she began pulling up next to the couch and or stairs; and of course within a week or two, she was trying to climb said stairs. She loves this task! As we have two sets of stairs, it gets a little tricky trying to keep her off them. The ones that lead off of our main floor have these ugly oak posts on one side, which makes the traditional gate impossible. Anyhow, here she is showing off her climbing skills: So excited!

Just Checking... (Isaac is sitting close behind to make sure she doesn't fall back on the hardwood floors and crack her little head open.)

Slow and Steady wins the race...

Yay! Clapping for her success. The clapping is relatively new as well. I know that "they" (meaning a lead team of expert child development specialists or whatever) say that children often awaken in the night to practice new skills, but I have never had a child actually do that. When Victoria first started the clapping, however, I kept trying to get her to sleep one night and she would nod off and then twitch and start clapping her hands. It was one of the cutest things ever!

Now, of course, since we have mastered the pulling up to heightened surfaces task, she has also officially begun the "I am the nemesis of all laundry phase." Frankly, I had not missed this phase one bit. My other two are old enough to leave the laundry (clean or dirty) all alone. But alas, Tori has embarked upon the era of destroying all organized laundry (clean or dirty). It's a good thing she's so cute doing it! :

Look at those gorgeous thighs!

A Month of Firsts....Springtime!

The past month has been filled with many firsts for us; mostly for Victoria, as she turned ten months in April, but a few for the rest of us as well. I hope to chronicle these over my next few posts. The snow has melted and is staying away it seems. We were so ready for the warmth and green and sunshine! Anyway, I digress. There is a park really close to our house which we visit frequently, but this was our first trip to the big park this spring. We thought we'd let Tori try out the swing. Here she is a little excited at first: Now, worried ( not that I can blame her- she was shifting back and forth in the little swing):

So we tucked some sweaters in around her and she loved it!

The big kids loved getting out in the sun as well!

Victoria's Very First Easter- the day of no pictures

We tried so hard to get some cute pictures this Easter, but alas, things did not go in our favor. We got up and ready for church early so we could try to get some cute shots before the kids were tired and cranky and hyped up on sugar. Here they are just before Church: Cut kids, poor lighting.

And for our family shot, we just could not get one with everyone happy and smiling. So, here we have a few shots of some of us smiling:

Tori's not loving the sun in her face:

We put Tori out in the grass with some eggs before everyone else strated the hunt, but she apparently takes after her father and is completely traumatized by the unfamiliar texture of the grass:

She kept trying to get the eggs, but as soon as she felr the texture of the grass, recoiled into a position much like this:

Here we have the big kids and our annual bunny cake, which I had the honor of making this year:

Once more, no smiles from Victoria...

Hunting for eggs:

Although we don't have any great pics or clever anecdotes for this holiday, the kids had a great day and I am so honored to be their mother. They have such a pure and simple love for their Savior and are beginning to understand a little of His amazing atonement. I hope the day was equally blessed in each of your families!

Why DO We Have Easter Eggs?

So one of the most delightful aspects of being a parent is seeing the world through their eyes. I have previously mentioned Daphne's incessant questioning and pondering about life; so of course this week's questions focused largely around Easter. So on the Monday before Easter, Daphne said, " Mom, I know we celebrate when Jesus got born on Christmas, and Easter is about when Jesus got resurrected, right?" "That's right , Daph.", I replied. "So why do we have Easter eggs?" Of course I tried to explain that Easter is during the spring and we celebrate all sorts of signs of new life, such as baby chicks hatching from eggs, because it helps us to remember the Savior coming back to life. She seemed content with that response and continued to ask more questions on various other topics, such as photosynthesis and where cotton comes from.
It did make me contemplate Easter on a different level, though. It is refreshing to go back and see things through their eyes; to explain the gospel to their sweet innocent spirits. We read the scriptures focusing on the week leading up to the crucifixion and it is so touching to see their puzzled faces as they try to understand why anyone could be so cruel to "our Jesus" (as Daphne says). There is much truth in the old saying that "the best way to learn something is to teach it". My heart was so full on Saturday evening as we read the story of the burial and the resurrection- I want so much for them to know their Savior and His matchless love toward us all. And I was heartened Sunday Morning as they awoke to find their Easter baskets filled with goodies, when Daphne said, "Mom, Easter's not just about candy." Such remarkably simple statements remind me of the truth of this miraculous day. I can get so caught up in Easter dresses and suits, baskets and candy and little visual aids from Sunday School lessons, and all the little things. I love that my sweet child reminds me that all of those little things are done to remind me of Christ's gift to all of us.
So, after some more discussing about the symbols of the season, We dyed easter eggs on Saturday afternoon and the kids really enjoyed it... I'll post pics from Easter Sunday as soon as I can! (Don't hold your breath!)

Re Cap

We have a few videos to share with you to re-cap some of Victoria's favorite things as of late.

If you ask Tori where the fan is, she will look up toward the ceiling and raise her arm and move it in a circular motion. She loves fans- she does this more consistently than she waves goodbye.

• Victoria loves to give kisses, usually to Mommy!
• Nature vs. Nurture- Victoria is completely fascinated with babies, real or inanimate. She loves to hug Daphne's baby dolls and give them kisses. People say that we train children socially, girls to like babies and boys to like balls. While there may be some truth to that, Victoria doesn't understand that she is a girl and babies are her favorite thing! So, whatever. Here we are at the park a couple of weeks ago:

Victoria also loves dancing right now. This usually is just bouncing up and down while music is playing, but it's very cute! We missed most of the dancing in this video, but she does a little of it at the end. We were at Uncle Julio's in Washington D.C., so this one is from about a month ago...