Melanie's First KISS, New Tricks, New Discoveries, and "Flat Stanley" cont.

Melanie will be four months old on the 2nd of May. She is getting too big and too cute! I absolutely love this age! We just are so in love with our little Squish. 

This is going to be a fun post. Melanie got her first kiss from a special little boy. She has new tricks, new discoveries, 

AND.....

"Flat Stanley" is almost finished with his stay here in Utah and he's had some great adventures.

Pretty in purple!

Melanie has been putting EVERYTHING in her mouth! Toys, her hands, the burp cloth, the dog's ears, even my chin. One day after I had finished feeding her, I stood her up to play with her and WHAM....
She leaned forward with her mouth wide open and sucked the heck out of my chin! I'm surprised she didn't give me a hickey from it. Hahaha!

This picture makes me laugh. The other day Melanie was just chillin' on the floor minding her own business and Abby hovered over her and just stared. It was hilarious. Abby didn't move a muscle for about three minutes. All she wanted to do was look at the little girl laying on the floor.

I swear Abby and Melanie are going to be the best of friends as time goes on. It seems like they already are best buds. It's so sweet. Abby will just lay next to Melanie and they will just look at each other and have a staring contest. I think it's cute when they make eye contact with one another. 

Staring Contest!

Like I said earlier, Melanie puts everything in her mouth including her TOYS! She sure loves to play with actual toys now. It's fun to watch her try to flip pages on her books or push the buttons on the light up toys.

She's learning! 

Ok, this picture makes me giggle. If anyone knows me, they would know I'm crazy, loud, and well... I guess you can say weird. Yes, I stuffed my 4 month old's shirt with little toy balls to make her look like she has boobs. Our friends' little boy has an awesome ball pit and I thought the balls would make a good cup size for Melanie. Hahaha! 

Oh geez... 

The other night we hung out with some of our closest friends, the Hugie's! They are freaking awesome and they have the most adorable little boy! His name is James, but we call him JJ. 

JJ is a year old and such a little stud! When I was pregnant and we found out that we were having a girl, we joked with the Hugie's that we were going to have our kiddos betrothed! When we got together, it was fun and so cute to watch JJ and Melanie interact.

Cute JJ knows how to give kisses. So when we told him to "give Melanie a kiss," he TOTALLY did! With her nose in his mouth and everything. Hahaha! 

This munchkin sleeps best when she is swaddled up like a burrito. Lately, we have been teaching her to just fall asleep on her own, in her crib, without being swaddled. So far so good. 

During nap times she's been doing pretty good sleeping on her own, but we still have to swaddle her up at night for "our" sake. Hahaha! If she isn't in a burrito, she occasionally wakes up fussy. During the day I can deal with it, but at night I need my sleep or I get fussy. Hahaha! 

She will eventually get the hang of it!  

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS! This Saturday we are going to California for my best friend's wedding.
I can't tell you how happy and excited I am for her and her fiance. They are perfect for each other!
We are staying there for a whole week so we can have time to visit my family too! We are going to stay with my Nana and Tata. They are so kind to let us stay with them. 

We are going to have some fun in the sun. I went to Target and got Melanie her first bathing suit. I put it on her to see how it fit and she gave me the BIGGEST smile! 

I think she is excited too! 

California won't be complete without some cool shades! 

Our little Squish has been trying to get her feet for weeks now. She finally did it! My little girl is getting so big! She had learned how to use her abs to help pull her feet up to her chest so she can grab them. 

I bet she'll put her feet in her mouth in another couple weeks.
Her little piggies are so cute!

Her facial expressions kill me. Hahaha! Our Little Squish has discovered her tongue. She always has it sticking out. It must feel funny to her or something.
Dallan was changing her one day and caught this look on camera.
Isn't it great! That tongue cracks me up! It's almost as if she is saying, "Neener Neener Neener, you have to change me!"

Melanie has been practicing sitting up. She still can't quite do it on her own, but she is getting really close! 

I can't quite figure out why Dallan put her in a box in this picture, but ok. Hahaha! 

A couple weeks ago we went down town and visited the temple. It was a beautiful, chilly day. The sky was clear, the air was crisp, AND Melanie wasn't really a happy camper. Hahaha! 

While we were down town, we took Flat Stanley with us. Just in case you don't remember, Flat Stanley is an Elementary School project that my cousin Sophie's class is doing. Flat Stanley is a boy that got squished and he has adventures throughout the USA. This is all based on a book that Sophie's class read. Anyways, Sophie sent her Flat Stanley to Dallan and me and he's been having  a lot of fun with us in Utah. 

We took him to the new City Creek Mall and he decided to "take a whiz" in the fountain. 

(Don't worry Brian and Jaimee, we won't give this picture to Sophie or her class.) Hahaha!

A nice view of the fountains.

He visited the State Capitol.

He caught a nice view of the Wasatch mountains! 

This last Sunday, Dallan, Melanie, and I went on a family walk. It was a BEAUTIFUL Spring day. The weather was perfect and the skies were blue! Yay for warm and pretty Spring days! 

This little girl loved laying on the grass with her feet in the air. I bet the warm air felt good on her little piggies.

Can you see the two ducks hanging out in the pond behind Melanie?

I am so excited that the warm weather is coming. I absolutely love going outside as a little family and enjoying one another's company. There will be many more days like this with Summer coming so soon! 

I'm sure we will be enjoying the outdoors a lot while we are in California. I'm SOOOO excited for my extended family to meet Melanie. She has grown and learned so much since she was born (even though it's only been four months). I'm incredibly happy that she will get to see them and that they will be able to hold her and play with her while she is still really little. 

Wish us luck on our drive there! 

Post about our adventures in California coming soon! 

General Conference, Flat Stanley, Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary... Where to Begin?

Where to begin? Well this April has been one full of "first times for Melanie." Also, it's been full of fun, love, and excitement! I feel like I say this all the time, but we are so lucky to have this little one in our lives. It's so TRUE! This month there was General Conference. It was our first Conference with Melanie. We also had our second Wedding Anniversary and MUCH MORE!

Ok, let's "begin." 

On your mark.... Get set..... GO!

One of the best things about having a little girl is that you can dress her up in cute outfits and pretty headbands. 

The other week Melanie got to hang out with Uncle Ben and got to Facetime her Nana and Tata. They enjoyed that. I like that picture of my parents and Melanie Facetiming because they look so happy and she looks like a baby Buddha. Hahaha!    

Melanie has grown so much and learned many new skills in the past month.
Now that she can hold her own head up, she has learned to multi-task while doing that.
For example, she now LOVES to lay on her belly while watching the cute little kid show Arthur, and eat her hands at the same time.

There is a new store called Scheels. It's a huge sports, hunting, recreational store. It's a total "Man Store." I have literally heard men call it Heaven on Earth. Oh brother.....

Anyways, we went there because Dallan hadn't gone there before and he had been wanting to really bad. 

OF COURSE we just had to go to the football section. We gave Melanie a football and she seemed to be fascinated. Dallan was one proud Daddy. 

Pretty much I can't take enough pictures of this little Munchkin. 

My whole world in a picture. I love these two with all my heart. 

Melanie caught her first cold this month. Poor thing was miserable. All she wanted to do was cuddle and sleep in our bed. I felt bad for her because she couldn't breathe out of her nose because it was so boogery. Good thing we had the booger sucker thing that they gave us at the hospital when she was born. I had to suck boogers out of her nose all the time. I felt like I was going to suck her brains out. Hahaha! 

Melanie is now feeling a lot better and is back to her happy self! 

We went over to my parents house a few nights ago to hang out with them. I had to put this picture on here, it's one of my favorites. 

Anyways, we were there all in the living room and my dad was holding Melanie. I look over and see this. I had to take a picture. 

"How far can a baby's back arch on one's belly?" 

I think the picture answers that question perfectly!

This picture is awesome and Melanie looks very content and comfy. 

Here is a picture of Abby trying to sneak in a few kisses for Melanie. 

Can I just say we are so lucky to have such a happy baby! 

So one day when I put Melanie in her car seat, I noticed that the straps were getting a little tight. This girl is getting bigger and bigger every week! She noticed it was getting a little tight too, obviously from the look on her face. Hahaha!

It was as if she was thinking "Uh Mom... you're not going to make me sit in the car like this are you?" 

Don't worry. I loosened the straps. Now she fits in her car seat perfectly. 

No, she is not butt naked in this picture (even though it looks like she is). This was right before I gave the Little Squish a bath. Look at all the chub. I love it!

So usually I've been cutting her finger nails while she sleeps because people say it's easier that way. One night I decided to just do it and let her watch to see what I was doing. She did great! She didn't cry one bit. If anything, she was curious and wondering what the heck I was doing. 

This Munchkin still sleeps in the car like a Champ. Hopefully, she is like this on our trip to California in May. Yes we are driving there! 

We'll see. We can only hope. 

Wish us luck!

Melanie has discovered her thumb! 

She also has been using her hands more and more for other things too. She can grab and hold on to things now (seems like it's always my hair). 

She likes to play with these new toys that we've introduced to her. The only thing is... she seems to always get them stuck on her face and can't figure out how to get them off herself. Hahaha! 

Like I said earlier, we experienced our first General Conference with Melanie. She slept through most of it, but was all smiles during the times that she was awake. 

Every Sunday, we have Music and the Spoken Word on the TV. Music and the Spoken Word is a mini concert that the Mormon Tabernacle choir does every Sunday. They sing and give a spiritual message. They have done it every Sunday for years and years. Anyways, they broadcast it on TV so we turn it on on Sundays and it puts Melanie right to sleep. It's weird. As soon as we turn on the Mormon Tabernacle choir, she calms right down and goes to sleep. She can be screaming her head off and as soon and we play their music, she puts a cork in it.

My young cousin Sophie has this project she is doing with her Elementary School class. It is called a "Flat Stanley." This is all based on a book that her class has read. Basically, it's about this boy named Stanley and he gets squished and becomes flat. He goes places and has lots of crazy adventures. Anyways, her class had to make their own "Flat Stanleys" and send them to people out of state so they could see all the adventures that happens outside of California.

Sophie wanted to send her Flat Stanley to Dallan and me in Utah! Here is a little sneak peak of what he's gone through. 

Being in the middle of crazy Dallan and me... AND... being slobbered on by Melanie. 

If Stanley comes back soggy, I'm sorry Sophie! It's just Melanie kisses!

Since I cut my hours at work to be with Melanie more, I've been going nuts with cooking new and tasty things! 

Our Grandma and Grandpa Hope gave me this awesome deep fryer and I used it for the first time the other day and I LOVE IT! I made homemade fries with it and they turned out delicious! Dallan and I couldn't get enough! There is nothing like a homemade fry. This is how I will always make our fries now. There's no going back. DELISH!

 I couldn't have done it without the fryer, so THANK YOU Grandma and Grandpa Hope! I appreciate it!

Lastly, Dallan and I celebrated our second Wedding Anniversary. The day before our anniversary, we went to a restaurant called The Harvest out in Thanksgiving point. It was fancy and romantic. The food was good too! Then on our actual anniversary, we went to Applebee's. We went there because that is where he took me for dinner on our first date (which was April 6th, 2007). We have gone to Applebee's on every April 6th since 2007.

April 6th is a special day for us. It is the day we had our first date 6 years ago, and it is the special day we got married 2 years ago. 

I can't imagine my life without my amazing husband. He is the most wonderful man I have ever met. Who knew I would marry my high school sweetheart? 

AND...

I'm sure thankful that I did. 

Spring Has Sprung!

The snow has melted and the sun has come out. I think it is safe to say that Spring has Sprung! We took Melanie to the park by our house. It is HUGE. This was her first time out on a "real walk!" She was born in the winter and it was a VERY cold one in fact, so we mostly kept her indoors because she was so little. Now that she is getting bigger, and the weather is getting warmer, we are having loads of fun taking her outside and introducing her to the world we live in. Here are a few pictures of Melanie on her first walk on the first day of Spring! 

Loving the sun's rays!

She seemed to tolerate it pretty well! 

One of my favorite things to do with Melanie is dress her up for church on Sundays. It is important to me that I dress her up modestly even as a baby. She will grow up with this habit and it will not be an issue when she gets older. That's one of the things I appreciate that my mom did for me. I remember she always had me dress modestly. I want to do the same thing for my daughter. Modest is Hottest! Haha! 

I am OBSESSED with making this baby girl headbands! When I was pregnant and found out I was having a girl, I went absolutely nuts buying headbands online for her. When I got them and she came along, none of the headbands fit! I was soooo disappointed! I wanted so bad to put big headbands on my baby girl. So what did I do? I decided to make some that would actually fit her! I went to Joann's and Michael's craft stores and went crazy getting things to make these head pieces for my little girl. I think I did pretty dang good  job if I do say so myself!

A few days after my birthday we went and got Melanie her first pair of sneakers. Aren't they the cutest things you've ever seen!!!

This little one is a day away from being 3 months old. She is becoming a pro at holding her own head up!

Holding her head up like a champ!

Since she has been able to hold her own head up, one of her most favorite things to do is look over the edge of our bed and "talk" to Abby. It's adorable. 

I went to the kitchen for two seconds, came back, and found these buddies together. Melanie loves her dog and loves smiling at her. Abby loves her baby as well and does all she can to protect her and keep her from crying. When Melanie cries, Abby goes straight to me and acts as if she wants me to follow her to the baby so I can make her stop crying. It's cute. Abby has a special place in her heart for our baby girl.

We introduced Melanie to our parakeet. The expression on her face the first time she saw the bird was priceless! I am so glad I had my camera on me to catch the moment. It's as if she was thinking "Whoooa! What is that thing?!" Then she got used to the bird and actually let us put it on her shoulder. We had fun introducing them to one another. The bird didn't seem to mind Melanie at all.

Someone discovered herself in the mirror. She enjoys talking to that cute baby in the mirror. 

"Hey Good Lookin"

Oh gosh, this picture makes me laugh. Almost EVERY TIME we give Melanie a bath, Dallan gets her ready for it by taking her pants off and putting it on her head. She doesn't seem amused at all. Hahaha!

When she hears the bath water running, she gets smiley and super excited! Melanie loves the water!

I have too much fun with a baby girl. I painted my nails one day and decided to do hers too! Of course I had to wait until she fell asleep to do it. It was fun. Her little toes are so cute!

Like I said earlier, since the weather has gotten warmer, we have been going on a ton of walks. The other week my cousin Kristy and her cute baby boy had a lunch date with Melanie and me. We decided to walk around a huge lake since it was beautiful outside. We had a blast. There were tons of seagulls on the lake! It was cute to watch Kristy's little boy get so excited just by watching them.

During the walk around the lake I took Melanie for her first swing ride. She was so tiny in it! The swing seemed to swallow her up!

Melanie's Nana (my mom) loves to read to her. It's cute to watch them. Melanie of course doesn't understand a thing, but she sure does love to look at the pictures!

Dallan and I are all about walks now since the weather has been so nice. We like to go on them in the evenings before the sunsets. We walk along the nature trails by our house. It's absolutely beautiful outside on the trails. We tie up Abby's leash to Melanie's stroller while we walk. It's cute to watch the best buds side by side.  

So I've been cooking a ton lately and testing new recipes. The "cilantro shrimp alfredo pasta" was one that I made up and boy was it tasty. Then I made chicken fajitas one night by cooking the chicken and the veggies in the crock pot. Dallan loved that, can't you tell?

A few days before Easter we went over to our Grandma and Grandpa Hope's house to decorate Easter eggs. It's been a tradition they've had for years and years. We made lots and lots! This was Melanie's first time. Obviously she didn't do any decorating, but I made her her first decorated Easter eggs!

The day before Easter was Dallan's uncle's birthday. He invited everyone for an evening of fun! The entire Hope family went out to dinner to The Asian Star for some AWESOME Chinese food and after that we went to the Pioneer Theater up at the University of Utah and saw a play. The play was titled "The Odd Couple." It was hilarious! We had a great time. 

On Easter, we spent the evening with Dallan's family and went on a nice Sunday walk. The weather was perfect and the evening was beautiful.

Before we went over to Dallan's family's house, we spent the afternoon with my family. We went to my parents' ward. It was fun to show Melanie off in her little Easter outfit! So cute and pink! After church we had a DELICIOUS ham dinner with my family. Boy was it tasty! 

I think Melanie's first Easter was a special one for Dallan and me. It is fun spending holidays with a little family of our own. We love our little girl and would do anything for her. She is our whole world now.

I can't wait for the next holiday!