The celebration continued.

The weekend after Eliza's birthday we headed up to Columbia to hang out with my family and go to the temple. It also worked out well that Ben, who had been in Utah for a few days (did you notice he wasn't in any of E's bday pics?) was flying in to Columbia that weekend.

Saturday morning my sister Megan and I took the kids to the Columbia Marionette Theatre to see Aladdin.

We had a lot of fun, until about 5 minutes before show time.

You can kind of tell in the below picture that Jack decided this was not for him.

Shortly before it started, Jack began crying inconsolably. I tried in vain to calm him down and get him excited about watching the puppets, but ended up taking him out for all but the last 5 minutes. And it was a double-blow for me because I have a hard time being on time for things, and not only were we not late, we were actually early. And we had really good seats. Which meant that I had to walk through almost the entire theater with a crying Jack and a stuck-on-my-hip Eliza. Of course, I was sure that it was not going to last long and we'd be back in there soon, so I didn't think to bring my purse with me when I made my escape. Oops. Jack had a very full diaper and I didn't have anything to change him with or keys to my car. Nonetheless, he still talks about the puppet show. So I don't think it was a completely horrible experience for him. I guess it would have been worse to torture him and make him watch the marionettes against his will.

Side note: Cat did the same thing the first time we took her to the circus. She hated the clowns. I have a hilarious picture of Ben and me holding her near a clown and she looks completely terrified. I can say it's hilarious because she doesn't mind clowns now. But I'm not sure it was the marionettes that bothered Jack, anyway. He just bursts into tears unexpectedly sometimes... like when I take him to our little post office that's inside a quick-e-lube/car wash place. Anyway...

After the puppet show we drove down to the river to pick up Ben and Suz, who'd been kayaking while I was not torturing Jack. It was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed hanging out until their aunt and uncle arrived. (My sister also married a Ben, in case anyone is confused.)

On Sunday we celebrated Eliza's birthday. E's nickname around our house is Liza Bug, because it just popped out of my mouth one day when she was wearing an outfit that had little ladybugs on it. And the name stuck. So of course she got a ladybug cake, and I was fortunate enough to have a decorating assistant on hand.

We ate a yummy lasagna lunch outside after Church, and the kids tried hard not to get too wet, since we don't swim on Sundays.

Eliza enjoyed her 2nd birthday cupcake (the ladybug's head) and we had a great time just watching her.

And she opened a few more birthday presents.

Again, receiving assistance from her ever-helpful older sister.

That afternoon we all loaded up and headed home.
Eliza's birthday celebration was finally complete.

How to celebrate your UNO birthday.

Begin by getting a good night's sleep the night before.

Wake up feeling refreshed and excited for the start of a new year.

Do some exploring.

Play some cards.

FYI - This photo was NOT posed. She found the Uno cards and started playing with them.
While wearing her Uno t-shirt. Love it.

Humor your sister and allow her to pose while holding
you during your Eeyore photo shoot.

Play outside. Or play in the house. Or, both.

Go for a drive.
Try to enjoy it, even if your brother is sad because he wanted a turn in the car.
Remember - it's your birthday.

Relax in the swing.
Go ahead, chew on your shoe if you feel so inclined.

Open a couple of presents.
Be sure to tell Mema thank you!

It's okay if you need assistance from your big sister.
She won't mind helping out.

Enjoy the thought of yummy milk coming from brand new sippy cups.

Before partaking in any birthday "treats" be sure to have someone
thoroughly inspect them so that you can avoid eating any misshapen sprinkles.

Start slowly. Sample just a bit.

Contemplate if it's worth the calories.
When the options have been weighed, commit to your decision.

And dig in.
Give the table some love.

And don't forget to share a winning smile with your adoring audience.

The Big 1!

Well, she gone and done it. My baby turned 1. (And I would say I'm coping rather well.)

This month, Eliza learned lots of things. She still isn't walking, but she has learned to cruise around. She does take a few steps with assistance, occasionally.

She finally figured out how to climb down from things. This is very important in our house, since we have a recessed living room. It's no fun being trapped in the hallway when all the action is in the living room!

She also learned how to climb into things. She started climbing into dresser drawers, empty plastic bins, baskets,

kitchen cupboards (and sampling the onions and garlic while she's in there),

and bathroom cabinets.

And Eliza and I both learned that Jack is not to be trusted. I don't know what happened when they were alone, but that night Mommy and Daddy also got a lesson... in the wonders of super glue. (Our first time. Would you believe that?)


A few fun bath shots to share...




And two more of my adorable baby. (I can still call her that since she's the youngest.)


Eliza is such a joy to have around. She is sweet and loving with everyone but doesn't hesitate to jump in and wrestle when the opportunity arises. She is quick to laugh, whether we smile and make funny faces intentionally, or she is just watching her older brother and sister's antics. She is saying "naw," "yeah," and "uh-oh" pretty regularly now, and has several other ways of communicating her wishes and emotions. She still likes to cuddle and snuggle, especially when she's tired. And she still sleeps wonderfully during nap time and at night. It is such a joy to watch her grow and learn and develop every day. We are so glad that she is our baby, even though she's a toddler now!

I guess Phil was right.

It's only been a few weeks, and I may be a bit premature, but I am taking this opportunity to thank Punxsutawney Phil for correctly predicting an early spring. We had an unusually cold winter this year (LOTS of below freezing days, but no snow to show for it!) and we have been so thankful for warmer weather recently.

President's Day was a gorgeous day, so we met several other families from our ward and headed to a nearby beach for some fun in the sun. The weather was in the high 70s and low 80s - too cold to swim in the ocean (but someone forgot to tell Cat that) and a little windy, but warm enough to be comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt (or swimsuit, if you're a child). We even stayed long enough for me to get my first almost-sunburn of the season. Yeah for the South!

When Jack wasn't trying to swipe strangers' beach toys or eat their food, he was either playing in the sand:

or playing in a big tide pool.
He also found a hole to hang out in for a while.

Cat got in the water several times, and didn't mind the cold at all. This girl LOVES the water.

She played in the sand a lot too, and even took turns burying/getting buried with her friend Ashlyn.

Eliza hung out in the Baby Bjorn almost the whole 2 1/2 hours we were there. She is such a trooper! Thank you for not making me change sandy diapers, E, since you would have inevitably eaten LOTS of it, had you been crawling around the whole time.

I did let her "experience" the beach a bit. She rubbed her toes in the sand. Cutest toes ever.

The only way it could have been better is if Ben could have hung out with us too. But at least he got to come home to a very happy family that day!