Mercedes Moments

I really haven't been good at blogging lately because I feel like we've been so busy lately. Maybe we haven't been as busy as it has felt but anyway, here is a post (finally).

Like a lot of people, we had a baby and now that's what our life is about. Which basically means that's mainly what I blog about. AND it doesn't help that the only pictures taken now days are of our little munchkin and all of the cute things she does. As her doting mother I can't help but blog about her! I think I wrote about this Tu Tu in my post about Mercedes' birthday but this Tu Tu was made by her new auntie BJ. It is seriously cute.
And I took A LOT of pictures of her wearing it.
A handful of which I am posting here.



Love.

Mercedes will give practically anything a hug if you tell her to, especially if that thing is a Tinkerbell balloon.

Here Mercedes is wearing her wedding party dress that was for Jonathan and BJ's wedding. Sportin' the spider crawl.
Hmm, I think that's some of Daddy's homework...

The other day I stuck Mercedes in a diaper box and pushed her around.


She enjoyed sitting in it.
She loves anything with pages she can turn.
Mercedes has gotten very interested in all the pretty accessories I wear. Necklaces, bracelets, and lately scarves. Today she was yelling for me and I found her in my room pointing up at the hanging scarves in our closet. I took some down for her, helped her put the colorful one on and she was happy. Later she crawled out with the scarf still wrapped around her. It doesn't show in this picture but she's so funny, when she puts on an accessory she gets a look on her face that says "I'm pretty."

She got this new dolly and stroller as a gift from my aunt Joann. She loved it immediately.
Though, she's beginning to find that being pushed in her doll stroller is funner than pushing her dolly around.
As mush as she's outgrown this swing, she enjoys relaxing in it. (Emily we've still gotta get it back to you!)

That's it for the pictures but here is a little more on Mercedes:

Mercedes is 13 months on Saturday. She weighs about 20 pounds.

She just had two more teeth come in this week which makes it a total of 7.

She "talks" a lot and makes all sorts of funny noises. Her main things she says are "ma-ma, da-da" and "buh." "Buh" usually means bird, air plane, ball and a few other things mainly starting with the letter 'b.'

Mercedes LOVES her binkeys and her bunny.

She is practically obsessed with "birdies" and other things she sees in the sky.

She's doesn't walk but totally could of she tried, she just refuses.

She loves to be chased, loves to bite and loves to use us as human tunnels.

She's very determined and knows what she wants, which we know is a great thing, but it can be exhausting for the parents. :)

She just learned to fold her arms for prayer! As soon as we say "time for prayer!" She clasps her hands together. Melts our hearts every time.

We think she is just great.

Ew.

I hate putting away the laundry.
Because of my procrastination my small piles begin to feel like they amount to the laundry in this picture.
I guess I better go put it away now, it would be good for my health.

We have a One Year Old!

Yes It is true. We almost can't believe it.

Sunday Taylor's family came over and we threw a birthday party for our little critter. I probably had a little too much fun getting ready for it.
The little outfit she is wearing is an adorable little outfit given to us at a baby shower before she was born. It came in a "birthday package" put together for when our baby turned one year.
I just love this face.
We opened presents first. I love this picture because all three of us are so intensely focused on getting the toy out of its package.
We told her to give the toy a kiss and so she did.
She was starting to learn that there were fun things inside the packages.
Taylor and I got her a book that was one of my favorites growing up. The Runaway Bunny.
Great-Grandma 'Nette from Utah sent Mercedes this cute little monkey. She loved it instantly.
This cheesy smile gets me every time. This is her crinkly nose grin.
She loves putting things on her face and head. Go figure?
Throughout the whole event she would stop and look up at the Tinkerbell balloon Grandma and Grandpa Nelson gave her. She loved that thing most of all I think.

Aunt BJ made her this ADORABLE little tutu and we had to try it out immediately.
She wasn't too sure about it.
LOVE.

I never knew it would be so fun to celebrate our one-year-old's birthday.


After presents came the cake and "Happy Birthday Song." She wasn't too sure about 9 people standing around her and singing to her.
Of course she had to take a bite out of the cake.
This was her first ever piece of cake! She was actually quite dainty about it.
The she decided to get her hands dirty.

She thoroughly enjoyed her cake.
And let me tell you this girl loves her water.
It was such a fun party. Taylor and I are loving every minute of parenting and are so excited for every day with Mercedes.

Simpliy obsessed I guess

So for the past while I have begun to be obsessed with trying to clean and organize our house. I think it all started around the "nesting" period before Mercedes was born. At least that's when I started to feel that crazed "I've gotta clean this place or I will go insane!" feeling. I guess I've always been somewhat of an organized person, like when I was 9 I shared a room with my three brothers and I couldn't stand their boyish messiness so I taped a line across the room and threw their messes over onto their side. That's just an example.

Lately I've been watching a lot of the shows CLEAN HOUSE and a little bit of HOARDING:BURIED ALIVE and it makes me feel even more antsy to clean. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that we are slowly, yet, gradually growing out of our apartment. When we first moved in it was just Taylor and I and we only had about half the furniture we do now and we had almost no baby stuff. Now as far as baby stuff goes, we're probably set for the rest of our future children with the exception of some blue colored clothes.

I'm almost always trying to think of things we can throw away, donate or get rid of. Thinking about all of the things we bring into our home every week, we HAVE to get rid of just as much just to keep our home orderly! That brings me to the wonderful feeling of letting stuff go. I think I'm probably obsessed with getting rid of stuff...well as long as it's nothing I really care about or need. I seriously LOVE the feeling of sending stuff out of this house. It's like a big breath of fresh air! I love taking a bag full of unneeded and non-necessaries to D.I. or Goodwill. Handing the bag to those friendly workers I always feel like saying "Thank you for relieving me of this stuff!" And I drive away with an empty trunk and a happy heart, ready to go through the next closet and set of drawers at home.

With all this being said, I'm off to go organize a bit more before Mercedes wakes up from her morning nap. It is Saturday after all, and you know what they say...

"Saturday is a special day. It's the day we get ready for Sunday: We clean the house, and we shop at the store, So we won't have to work until Monday. We brush our clothes, and we shine our shoes, And we call it our get the work done day. Then we trim our nails, and we shampoo our hair, So we can be ready for Sunday."

I haven't heard that song in a long time. Good stuff, but I probably will shampoo my hair on Sunday.

Help baby Ezakiel

Baby Ezekiel is in the hospital with RSV and several heart defects. His mom and dad own the sub zero ice cream in the Provo mall. Go buy ice cream to donate and give support. We can't do that because we are in California and so that is why I'm posting this to spread the word. Go to this link for more information and to donate.