Christmas

Well we had a FABULOUS Christmas!  Had lots of good food, family time and some wonderful gifts!  Amelia got into ripping the paper off of her gifts and is still having a blast playing with all her new toys.  We are blessed beyond measure, it's really something words can't describe. 


Christmas Eve we went to my Mom's to open gifts, eat and hang out for a bit.  Amelia showed off her new walking skills to everyone and we had a great time.  Christmas Eve night, Nathan and I watched It's a Wonderful Life and exchanged our presents.  I LOVE getting presents!  I'm horrible I know, but I do. 


Christmas morning was all about Amelia!  Santa had brought her a new tunnel to play and some soft blocks that she can climb on and she loved them.  She opened her presents at home and we spend the rest of the day at Joe and Lois's.  We had a perfect day surrounded by those we love.


The day after Christmas, Sunday, we went to my Dad's for breakfast lunch and opened more presents!  Amelia got sleepy due to a short morning nap, but we still had a good time and enjoyed spending time with the family.

In other news, as of Thursday December 23rd I would say that Amelia is officially walking.  She is able to walk, when she wants to for extended periods of time!  Thursday she walked about 10 feet at Grandma's house and walked all weekend.  It's so cute to watch her!


I hope everyone had a great Christmas and took time to remember the real reason for the season, the birth of our Lord and Savior, baby Jesus. 

Getting SO Close!

I'm going to have a walker soon, I just know it.  This past Saturday (December 18th) Amelia took several step all by herself.  She walks ALL day long while holding on to our hands and even gets mad if you sit her down because you need a break!  So we walk around a lot with her just holding onto our finger, but as soon as you pry your hand away, because she has a grip, we flops herself on the floor.  I know she can do it, but crawling is just much faster and easier for her right now, but I have a feeling it won't be long before she's an official walker!  Look out world.


Here is a quick picture of her that I had Nathan snap before we headed out to church on Sunday.  She's in her Christmas dress and I think she looks adorable!  I am partially though...

A Top Tooth!

Friday (again I wrote this a long time ago, so this was Friday December 3rd) after work I went and picked Amelia up at Kim's and I asked how was she today, my usual question, and Kim tells me that they all, meaning, her, Mallory and Amelia had a grumpy morning.  Mallory wasn't in a good mood and Kim just assumed Amelia was feeding off of her.  Well I think nothing of it, after all everyone has a grumpy day every once in a while right? 
So Friday night Amelia wakes up at 3:00 a.m.  Really?  3:00 a.m.?  This momma is used to her baby sleeping from 7:00 p.m. to at least 6:00 a.m., so 3:00 a.m. was a little early.  But she wasn't going back to sleep without some milk, so I go and give her a cup of milk and put her back to sleep. 
Saturday morning she gets up just like normal and then sometime Saturday afternoon Nathan discovers that one of her top teeth has came through, hence the grumpy day and lack of sleeping!  I love when we can explain what certain things mean, because at this age there are so many things you can't explain! 
So I tell Kim this Monday morning and she tells me that Mallory had a tooth come through Friday night!  So it was TWO grumpy teething babies. 
The past two night have been normal sleep, but I think the other top teeth is close behind, which might mean a few more 3:00 a.m. wake up calls.

Pay no attention to the slobber ring on the shirt or the bit coming off her chin!

Christmas Time

It's Christmas time in the Beaver household. I love love love Christmas. I usually put up three trees and lots of decorations, but this year with Amelia around I settled for just putting up one tree. I've always put up our trees on the day after thanksgiving because even though I love Christmas, I also value the Thanksgiving Holiday and what is means. So I chose to put my huge tree in our living room, I call it my peacock tree. Amelia 'helped' me put the decorations on the tree. I was only able to snap a few pictures, because it was just her and I at home and I had to keep rescuing my ornaments from her. I only put up one tree because in my mind I just knew she would destroy them. But much to my surprise she wasn't acted very interesting in the tree at all.

She climbs!

Don't know what kind of face this is, but see the ornaments on the floor?

Finished!

One Year Stats

Amelia had her one year check up Tuesday and received 5 shots. She now weighs 23 lbs and 1 ounce (75-90%), and is 29 and 1/4 inches tall (50-75%). She didn't do so well with her shots, they were pretty traumanic for all three of us! The doctor said she is right where she should be in just about everything. She still only has her two bottom teeth, but is working on the top two. She's still cruising, and is able to walk while holding one of our hands. She's getting close to walking on her own, it will only be a matter of time. She says, Mama, Dada, Hi, Kitty Cat (Nathan heard this), and Papa. She shakes her head yes and no, waves bye-bye and will do the itsy bitsy spider with us. Her favorite thing to do currently is climb, she climbs or tries to climb everything. She loves to eat and is eating all table food, she'll eat just about everything with the exceptation of potatoes. I also took away her bottle, and she's drinking whole milk. As of right now I'm still mixing her whole milk with formula, but as of this coming Saturday it will be all milk in her cups. She doesn't like being told no no or when we take things away from her. The day before her birthday party we also got her one year pictures taken, here are three of the proofs. I think they turned out really cute.

Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for, we are very blessed.  As Thanksgiving came and went I've been pondering some of what I am thankful for and have composed a short list.  So here's what I'm thankful for.


I'm thankful that God sent his Son to live and die, so that I may have eternal life.  I'm thankful for this above all.


I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, who is not only a my best friend, but is a fabulous father.


I'm thankful for Amelia and her ability to make me laugh and smile everyday.


I'm thankful for my Mom and Jim and for how they'll cook me pepper steak whenever I ask!


I'm thankful for my Dad and Karla and how they always share their dinner when we show up to visit at suppertime!


I'm thankful for my Brother and how I can get a text from him that says, "Mandy just mastered the art of cooking chocolate pies" and it makes me smile.


(side note, just realized that the past three things included food, maybe I'm thankful for food?)


I'm thankful for Mandy, because she truly makes Nick happy.


I'm thankful that I have the absolute best in-laws in the world and how I know they will be there for us always, period.


I'm thankful for family in general, we have lots of family and I love them all. 


I'm thankful for all my nieces and nephews.  They make me laugh and smile and I enjoy them a lot.


I'm thankful for church, and the fellowship that comes with it.


I'm thankful for my BFF, she'll be there through it all and I know this without a doubt.


I'm thankful for lots of material things, and I know it sounds horrible, but I am.  They make live easier.


Just a small list of some of the things I'm thankful for this time of the year.  What are you thankful for?

First Birthday Party

We had Amelia's first birthday party on November 21st, two days before her actual birthday in the gym at the church.  I think it's safe to says it turned out fabulously.  I was worried about how Amelia would react to all the people, the cake, and the gifts, but she did wonderful, even after I had to wake her up to go to the party! The past year has FLOWN by and I'm wishing time would stand still.  She wasn't interested in digging into her cake, which is always the fun part.  She did a really great job opening gifts, but lost interest at the end, so I was left opening them all!  It was a great time, with all of Amelia's favorite people. Here are some of the pictures from the party.

Nathan and I made all 90 cupcakes!

The birthday girl.

Stupid red eye, not sure why, but almost every picture she has them!?

Lots of Love!

Happy Birthday Amelia Paige Beaver, we love you so much.  God has blessed us tremendously and has wonderful things instore for your future.

Housekeeper?

So, before we had Amelia I would like to think I kept a clean house.  I liked things straightened up and picked up and everything in it's place.  Well, in theory, I still LOVE that, but it doesn't happen with a nearly one year old (ok so now she is one, see another failed attempt to post) is awake and crawling through the house.  I snapped this picture the other night after we got home from work.  Amelia had single handedly did this to my kitchen in the matter of 10 minutes, if that! 



Catch in the act!

The aftermath, she moved onto the living room after this...



I don't even try to pick up when she's awake now, what's the point?  I do however pick it up every night after she goes to bed, just to maintain some sort of sanity!  She gets into anything and everything, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  My house will be clean again, someday...until then I'll enjoy the chaos!  Maybe I should hire a housekeeper???

Women of Faith

Last Friday and Saturday  (see I did attempt to start a post A LOT sooner!) The first weekend of November a group of 13 of us traveled to Kansas City to the Women of Faith Conference.  It was an amazing time!  God spoke to me on many different levels and I'm still trying to process it all!  In fact, I'm planning on buying myself the DVD for Christmas so I can listen is it again and let in stink in further.  It was one of those experiences that was fabulous at the time, but I know I will learn much more by listen to it again.  There were so many outstanding speakers and performers, it's difficult for me to pick a favorite.  It truly was a blessed time with some wonderful women.

All of us at dinner before the Friday night session.

Natalie Grant belting it out at nine months pregnant.  She was A-MAZING!

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! 

                                                            ~Ephesians 3:20

Bad Blogger

Ok, so I'm SO far behind, November is gone and I hardly posted at all, I have so much to catch up on, and I'm planning on doing is NOW!  I have my jump drive with me with all my pictures on it, so get ready for a bunch of posts over the next few hours, or days, my goal is hours, but hours turn into days quickly in my life!