Just a Little Bit of March

 Begging for the IPad

Doing her daily duty of unloading shelves.

 Ready for church in a Spring Dress. 

On the move.

That Day Was Today

One of the activities we did at my baby shower for Natalie was having the guests answer a questionnaire for mom and baby. One of the questions for Mom (me) began with the prompt of, "I hope you aren't afraid of...." One of my friends wrote, "little hands in the toilet."

I chuckled at the time and have not thought much more about it. That is, until today, because my readers, today was that day. After Natalie woke up from her nap she ventured into the bathroom. I am pretty sure the toilet seat was down, but I am not for certain. Either way she ended up happily splashing away at the water.

Oh and an offer we put on a townhouse was accepted yesterday! We are so excited and know that it is a huge blessing and miracle from our Heavenly Father how it all came about. I will write more on it later. We have been busy with trying to get all the paperwork together for it so we can close April 30th.


Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Small Steps

Last week Justin was gone for six days straight. 

The more important part of that news is that I was able to be more positive 

than I normally am when he is gone for that length of time. 

There is a simple math equation that could show the importance of this.

Happy Wife = Happy Husband 

It felt good, but I know that the strength to focus on the good rather than the negative came from the Lord.

 I wasn't perfect, but overall I coped far better than any previous time. When we put in effort to change, the Lord will always help us, and I sure need his help.

The weather was gorgeous last week with lots of sunshine.

N and I spent a lot of time outside, since she reorganizes my house when we are in.

We also survived two hours of Stake Conference by ourselves. 

It was sure nice to see Justin come in that front door Sunday evening. 

He took Monday off to recharge and we had an enjoyable day of being a family.

Natalie was happy to have her daddy home and loved playing with him.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Birthday Party

Both of our families wanted to see Natalie for her first birthday this year, but were weary at making the long trek. For Justin's family we decided to meet them halfway in Ontario at my parent's home. They were gracious hosts for the huge house full they had all weekend.

Natalie and Justin were not feeling well the morning of her birthday. They went to Sacrament meeting and then headed out to go take a nap so they could be ready for the party that night.

With Natalie's Great Grandma Lois Corn. It is always a joy to see her.

Family picture. We were all a little tired from the fast and furious weekend.

Trying to get a picture of three of the baby cousins born in 2013

The girls were not having it.

 Natalie really enjoyed playing with Grandpa Blazzard's beard and hat.

 Justin's brother Josh and wife Brandi came for the weekend along with Justin's niece Abbie. 

She always says she misses Natalie. It is pretty sweet. She sent Natalie some adorable outfits for her birthday with the cutest Kindergarten note ever.

 Grandma Blazzard spoiled Ms. Natalie.

 Spaghetti for dinner. One of N's favorites.

 Four generations (even though this is my Dad's mom)

 With Grandma and Grandpa Lasley. This grandpa is pretty sick, so they were

 unable to make it to the party.

Luckily we still got to visit with them a couple of times.

Poor Natalie had a rough time with teething while on the trip, 

but was still relatively happy because of the new house to explore. 

Thank goodness there were so many people to keep her entertained. 

She is one loved little girl. 

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

One Year Old!

This little lady turned ONE on the March 9th!

What a wonderful year it has been with her.

She is very proficient at walking, is still very social (likes mom best though) and is into anything and everything she can get her hands on.

Weighed 21.9 lbs (75%), Height 29.25 in (52%)

She understands what we are saying and makes a lot of sin songy sounds, 

but is still only saying Mama, DaDa, yeh, and whoa.

Enjoys watching Baby Einstein 'World Animals'

She thinks animals are pretty fun and has only been afraid of birds so far.

Favorite food is probably any type of pasta, yogurt or ice cream.

Enjoyed wearing necklaces while at Grandma's house for her Birthday Weekend.

Is unloading cupboards left and right and rearranging where everything is in the house.

LOVES to go outside and walk around, or go on walks in the stroller.

She is definitely not shy and loves to be the center of attention wherever she goes.

Here we go with another year of excitement and learning!

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Sunshine in Troutdale

I cannot explain to you just how grateful I am when the sun shines here in the winter/early spring time. We have been taking advantage of these days by going for walks and to the park. Natalie loves showing off her walking skills to anyone who passes. One little boy was so impressed with her he tried to kiss her, snotty nose and all. Too bad the mom's interfered. 

Just like Momma

Natalie does not really like wearing a hat these days. I tried to get her to keep it on by showing her I would wear one as well. She got a kick out of seeing me put one on. Hers promptly came off still. 

Lovely drool.... She is such a fun little girl. I even got to rock her to sleep the other night. She hasn't let me do that since she was about four months old. I can't believe she is almost one.

Projects

       

I like to have small projects to work on throughout the week. They help give me direction in my unorganized days, especially when Justin is traveling for work. Our stake had a Relief Society Service day a couple of weeks ago, and this was one of the projects we did for it. It is an apron made especially for Alzheimer patients. One of the only senses they can still use is that of touch. This apron has a variety of textures and fidget items to help them soothe and entertain themselves. The aprons needed to be made before the activity and then the items were sewn on that day. It was a fun project to once again work on my sewing skills. I am excited for those who get to use them.

One of my jobs while in college was cleaning at an assisted living facility. They had a couple of Alzheimer units. I know that these would have been very beneficial for those residence. I am grateful I had the opportunity to do a small act of service for those who suffer from this disease. 

We also made pillowcases for cancer patients, tied quilts, collected food items for the local food pantry and tied fleece banquets. It was a fun, fulfilling day.