Bounce Bounce Baby!

This is Erin playing in her toy that Grandma Hill bought her for Christmas. She loves it!

6 months and Christmasy pictures

I can't believe she's 6 months (and 2 days) old! Where has this year gone? Especially the last two months...funny that time would go faster when I stopped working! So I took some pictures with our 2 presents (from my parents) and the garland. We didn't put up a tree, and aren't going to, since we'll be spending Christmas in Michigan with his parents.
































I'm also adding some professional pictures. These were a lot of fun to take!




























And Adrienne made this for me. It's for the forum I'm on, sort of an identifying graphic, but I just love it so I had to show it off.

Something to think about...

I came across this video, and I think it has a great message about the real meaning of Christmas. It's not LDS, but it has a beautiful message and it's very well done.




And here's the lyrics:
It's About the Cross

It's not just about the manger
Where the baby lay
It's not all about the angels
Who sang for him that day

It's not just about the shepherds
Or the bright and shining star
It's not all about the wise men
Who traveled from afar

It's about the cross
It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again

It's about the stone
That was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life someday

It's about the cross
It's about the cross

It's not just about the presents
Underneath the tree
It's not all about the feeling
That the season brings to me

It's not just about coming home
To be with those you love
It's not all about the beauty
In the snow I'm dreaming of

It's about the cross
It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again

It's about the stone
That was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life someday

It's about the cross
It's about the cross

The beginning of the story is wonderful and great
But it's the ending that can save you and that's why we celebrate

It's about the cross
It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again

It's about God's love
Nailed to a tree
It's about every drop of blood that flowed from Him
when it should have been me

It's about the stone
That was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life someday
So that you and I could have real life someday

It's about the cross
It's about the cross

A couple I had forgotten about.

Erin has started putting her hands behind her head like this. It's sort of a "yeah, I'm just hanging out!" sort of thing.









She loves her daddy so much!











I call this picture "Stay Puft Marshmallow Erin"










This was the funniest thing. She was laying in her pack&play, with her feet in the air, holding her toes, not moving or making a sound. Just holding her toes. It cracked me up. I asked her "Erin, have you got your toes?" and she started laughing.

Thanksgiving pictures (finally)

I had to steal these from Adrienne, because I didn't take any pictures that whole trip! We just got a new video camera, so we were using that the whole time. I'll post some of those, once I figure out how to get them off the camera and onto my computer (well, it'll take another hard drive too) .

Some cuteness

My online mommy forum has a "mascot," a stuffed animal that we take turns with and then send it on to the next person. He is a stuffed frog named Leapers. Well, this week is Erin's week. Here are some cute ones so far:

My favorite Christmas story

A friend of mine reminded me that posting that story here like that was violation of the federal copywrite law. I TOTALLY didn't even think about it at the time. Since I believe in "obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law, I will go ahead and delete it.

Oops.

~~~~~~~~~~~



I would like to thank my Heavenly Father for the 8 1/2 months I got to be Cora's mother. I'm SO indebted to my Savior, for being born so that He could die and live again, so that we might live and have our families with us.

The view from my window

I wish the dumb light pole wasn't in the way. Why is it that it seems so much further away in a picture?

Novembering

Our friends, Ben and Adrienne, wanted to have a Halloween party, but Adrienne had to work that evening. So they decided to make up a new holiday. Novembering is the Friday after Halloween (except that Adrienne got really sick, so we had to postpone it a week). It's a party that is an excuse to wear your costume again, eat food, eat cheap leftover Halloween candy, and carve squash (NOT pumpkin...but we didn't actually get around to squash carving). So we had our Novembering last night. We decided to actually take a picture of the 3 of us together so here they are!




























A friend of mine has decided to post one thing she's grateful for every day of November on her blog. She recently lost her baby, and it struck me as familiar. Cora Rei means "heart full of gratitude." When we found out we'd lost her, that night that I was still pregnant before being induced, I promised myself that every time I thought about her, I'd think about something I'm grateful for.

During this season of gratitude I'd like to just express how grateful I am for my eternal family. You can look out our front room window and see the new Rexburg temple on the hill. It's beautiful at night when it's all lit up, and I am so grateful for what the temple means in my life. I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves us each so much that He provided a way for us to have those we love with us for eternity. I can't wait for the day when I get to have ALL my children with me, instead of always feeling like something is missing.

Pictures in the park

Erin and I go on walks with 3 ladies in our ward every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am. Well, today all three of them canceled. So I decided we would go out to the park anyway. We had fun taking a bunch of pictures. Next time we do this though, I'll have to make sure that the camera batteries are charged!

5 months!!

It's been a long day. Today Erin officially turned 5 months old, and I have spent all day cleaning out the storage closet, which is now Erin's bedroom. I set up the crib, and reorganized everything (and found several things that I had been looking for since moving in!).

I just put her to bed, and guess what...she didn't cry. She seemed to take right to the crib (which has got to be more comfortable than that cramped bassinet!)

I'm a little sad that she won't be so close to me anymore. My teeny weeny baby has gotten so big! I suppose it's true what they say: they grow so fast!

Halloween Night

We didn't have a very eventful Halloween night. There's a large ballroom in our building on our floor, and since nobody was using it, we decided to have a friend bring over his projector and we watched a movie on the wall, and ate food, and had fun. Aunt Nyssa brought over her cat ears, and so of course Erin ended up with them. I finally got the pictures, so here they are!