Like mother, like daughter

Mercedes has discovered how delicious apples and almond butter are when eaten together. It is also one of my favorite snacks.

Confessions of a Chocoholic

Why? Really, why do I love chocolate so much? It's a serious question! I've always claimed to have a major sweet tooth but I'm realizing that it's not really a sweet tooth, but a chocolate tooth. I enjoy other sweets but don't ever love or crave them like I do chocolate.

Lately my biggest weakness has been the Cadbury Cream Eggs. They're mainly seasonal. I wasn't a big fan when I was younger but now... Well...

I sometimes let myself believe that since I'm nursing and burning more calories I can get away with eating more chocolate. Which in all honesty is probably true, I've been able to eat more chocolate and get away with it. But what do I do when I stop nursing? Combine that with the days I don't exercise and things will start to add up! On the scale at least. I should probably get my cravings under control, and sooner than later.
I found this picture and then remembered this as a part of 'I Love Lucy' when Lucy and Ethel were working at a chocolate factory. Here they are stuffing their faces with chocolates at the assembly line. Makes me laugh.

Thinking about the revelation given through Joseph Smith in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants , and reading about Prudence and Temperance, I can't help but feel like I need to work on having more self control. If anyone has any tips on ways to keep from giving into cravings, please share! I'm going to try to do better. Thank you for listening. :)

It has been too long, yet again.

I have a problem and this problem is a big part of why I don't blog very much. The problem is that the only real time I have to blog is while Mercedes is napping. And although Mercedes has become a much better napper lately I most often choose other ways of spending my time during those precious hours. Some of those things are: showering and getting ready for the day, cleaning the house, catching up on laundry, reading, napping to make up for lost sleep, exercising, working on projects, catching up on emails, etc., the list goes on. The thing is though, I know that every other fellow blogger is just as busy as I am if not busier and many still manage to post quite often, even daily. I guess it just comes down to making blogging a priority. I do enjoy blogging but maybe not as much as I should. Anyway, with that said I'm just going to blog a bunch of photos from the last month or so in attempt to "catch up." I'm working my way backwards and as usual, most of it is about Mercedes.

We're trying to encourage our 13-month-old's artistic desires and let her discover art. I figured chalk was the best way for now. Oh just so you know, the "doubt" was the end of a quote on faith, not doubt.

She even got into it using a piece of chalk in both hands.
I can't help but feel proud of my little artist! And it's just so fun to see her explore creativity.
The other day I peeked into her bedroom to check on her while she was playing and I came upon this.
Sitting on an up-side-down box holding her baby and a tooth brush. "Brushing the baby's teeth."
I threw this picture in because I just love this happy face.
Mercedes is starting to climb onto things. It's almost startling, she's becoming an actual little person. Well, maybe monkey is a better word.
Over Conference weekend we got Mercedes to start walking. She got to where she could walk the distance of her bedroom! She'll walk with us while holding onto our finger but on her own she still prefers crawling.
I love these two.
On a hot day at the end of March I decided to let Mercedes play in a bowl of water on the patio. There are two things she really loves, as I'm sure most babies do. Water, and outside.
A couple of weeks ago I was feeling really crafty and so I sewed this little skirt during her nap. it was very simple, just two long pieces of fabric and tulle and then some baby elastic.


If Mercedes is ever around while I'm bringing the laundry to the washer in the patio closet (yes, a strange place for a washer and dryer) she gets upset unless I let her push the laundry basket to the sliding glass door. She already insists on helping me with the chores!? I'm getting excited for chore charts, that's for sure.
I thought the bubbles on her head looked like a head band with a flower.
Here I sewed new pillow cases. I found the fabric on sale at JOANN and just couldn't resist.
We never get tired of telling Mercedes to kiss things.
Mommy and baby. :) At the end of March Mercedes had been sick and teething and just wasn't having a good week.
Here Mercedes had a high fever and was not feeling well. At one point her fever got up to almost 105. It was pretty scary but after calling the doctor and giving her infant Tylenol it went down and then her fever broke during that night.
Taylor was so sweet, it had been a hard week for Mercedes and also for me. I was exhausted from being up with Mercedes during the nights, worrying about her and taking care of her. He came home from work early to take care of both of us. I love him so much.

Well there's some of my "catching up." Next time I hope it won't be so random. Have a good day!

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.