We went to St. George to be there for Jenna's Baptism & it was such a great trip! We got up there a day earlier than everyone else, & it was so fun to have an extra day with Melissa! In the morning Nate went on a run & then Melis & I went on a run together while Lily napped. It was so nice getting to go on a run with Melis, it brought me back to the many runs we went together in college! On our way back we saw this guy on an elliptago & realized it was Nate pulling Lily in the trailer on the back of it, it was so funny to see them! Then we went to a park & then Nate stayed home while Lily & Andy napped so Melis & I could go out! we had lunch at George's Corner & then went shopping at Home Goods where I found the cutest velvet pumpkins & turkey for holiday decorations. Melissa always inspires me with her cute holiday decorations & I think it will be so fun to decorate for holidays as Lily is growing up! It was so fun getting to have a relaxing afternoon together! Poor Nate had to do traffic school that ended up taking 6 hours!!! In the evening mom & dad got to St. George & then Melissa & Sam made their famous pizza, it is sooooo good!!! Better than any restaurant!



The next day we drove up to Cedar City & saw some beautiful views of fall leaves & then hung out at the Children's Lake, where Jenna & Andy did some fishing with some traumatic catchings. It was so pretty to see the yellow leaves & walk around the lake. Lily was loving sitting in the dirt & playing with the leaves & Nate was very panicked about how dirty she was getting, hopefully he will get used to how dirty kids get! Then we got pizza & gelato at The Pizza Cart, both were super good!! We came back to Melissa & had an unfortunate incident where Melissa made Tres Leches cake topped with salted whipped cream (1/4 a cup to be exact) instead of whipped cream with sugar. I discovered the mistake as I said, "There's nothing better than homemade whipped cream & licked the whipped cream spoon only to lean over the sink & spit it out!! So funny!!! We ran to the grocery store & it all ended up ok!! Then we came back & played card games & then Ally & Zach arrived!



Saturday was Jenna's baptism! It was such a sweet baptism! She sang, "I Like to Look For Rainbows" with one verse in Portuguese while Sam played the ukulele & it was sooo sweet! She looked so beautiful in her baptism dress & so happy! We were so glad we could be there on her special day! Though I wish I had time to get her a "spiritual scrunchie" that she requested that morning to wear in her hair!!



After the baptism, we had lunch at Melissa's & then went to the Stahely Farms Pumpkin Patch. We have gone with them the past 5 years & it was so fun going with Lily this year! She loved the slides & kept wanting to go on one over & over again! We were all a little shocked when dad took her on the tall slide & had her stand & run the whole way down as he sat... She looked ticked about it but refused to stop running... haha, I could not stop watching the video Ally made of the incident!!!







It was such a great visit & Melissa was the best host! It was so cute seeing Lily with Jenna & Andy, they are so cute with her! I wish we could visit every month!!! Also, the last night Melissa, Ally, & I stayed up talking until 2am! It was so fun getting to visit a lot, I love my sisters!!

A few weeks ago it was Lily's 1st birthday!! This year has flown by! It is hard to remember a time before we had our sweet little girl but also feels like it has been the blink of an eye too, it's crazy how that is. She is so fun & keeps us laughing with her little personality that is really starting to show now!



Here are some of my favorite things about Lily:
-She wakes up so happy every morning & from every nap. She just lies there making cute little noises & then when I come to get her, she has the cutest smile! She just lays there smiling for a few seconds & then pushes herself up to a seat to be picked up.
-Her smiles is the cutest with her 6 little teeth & wide mouth open. She is smiling almost all of the day. (She has thrown a few little fits though & it is hard not to just laugh, she lets out a loud cry, lies on the ground & stomps her little feet. )
-She loooves to walk around with help. She would be walked around the house nonstop all day if our backs could take it! She will hold up her little hands, grab your hands with them, & then position herself around so that she can walk around the house at full speed! She knows exactly where she wants to go & will steer you in whatever directions that is!
-She makes the cutest little sounds. Her first word was mama & most of the time she will just be playing with toys or in the car saying mamamamama. She has also said dada! She babbles a lot & I love her little high pitched noises.
-Whenever Nate gets home, she hears the garage open & makes the cutest little high pitched sounds. Then she grabs my hands & I walk her down the hall where she greets Nate with the happiest little noises! I love that she is so attached to both of us!
- She loves the water & loves playing in the bathtub.
-She loves going to story time, playing with the other little babies, singing songs, & playing with bubbles.
- She is my little buddy & loves going on walks in the stroller, going on the swing at the park, & going on errands with me.
-She is very interested in Blitzen. She is constantly trying to pet him & get close to him & he is always trying to dash away!
-She isn't a very big eater but loves her carbs! She loves Nate's homemade bread, apples, & smoothies the best!
-She likes having Nate walk her around while I chase her to tickle her, one of her favorite games!
-She just barely started walking with a little walker & can zoom around pretty fast with it!
-One of my favorite things is how she is such a cuddler. In the mornings she will cuddle in bed with us & just nuzzle her little head back & forth, it is so cute! She also loves to climb on me & cuddle her head next to mine when I read her books. She will give open mouth kisses too that are usually sweet but once in awhile can turn into a painful bite, haha!

We love our little girl & feel so blessed to be her parents! She makes everything so much fun!!

For her birthday Derek, Julie, & Meagan were visiting so we had a fun day with them! When Lily woke up we went on a walk around the neighborhood & then had mango smoothies & toast for breakfast. Lily napped & then we went to the wildlife zoo! It was Nate's first time going to the zoo with her, so that was fun! We did the Lorikeet feeding & Lily loved looking at all of the birds & trying to pet them! She did get a little peck from one of the birds but didn't mind! We walked through the zoo part first & then went through the aquarium. After the zoo Lily took an afternoon nap & we got Cafe Rio for lunch. When Lily woke up, she opened her presents. It was so cute seeing her tear open the wrapping paper & tissue paper. She got such sweet gifts from family! Nate & I got here a little set of plastic keys (probably her favorite thing we got her), a few books (Mrs. Peanuckle's Flower Alphabet & Fruit Alphabet, If All of the Animals Came Inside, & an animal flap book), & a cute little outfit.



In the evening, we had family come over for a birthday party/dinner for Lily! We did a Hawaiian themse, so we had Kalua pork, coconut rice, fruit kebabs, vegetables, & pina coladas. Then I had made a little vanilla cake for Lily. I tried to make it healthier by using blended fruit instead of sugar & then frosted it with whipped cream & topped with fruit. She was not really interested in it & just kind of poked it with her finger. Then she picked the whole cake up with her hands & I thought she was going to either stuff it in her face or throw it. We all kind of laughed & she just dropped it back down & was a little scared. I had made German Chocolate cake for the rest of us & when I was eating some, Lily kept reaching for it, so I actually gave her her own piece of the chocolate cake. She grabbed it in her hand & stuffed it all in her mouth & would not move her hand or open her mouth until she had eaten it all, it was so funny! I should have known she would love chocolate cake, she is my daughter!!! It was such a fun day & Lily was so sweet & happy all day!!



Not impressed with the healthier cake...

Digging into the chocolate cake!

The last part of our East Coast Trip was Rhode Island, to see Meagan graduate! On the first day we went to the beach. It was cold & windy, but so pretty! We were staying in Newport, which was such a cute beach town! I loved how there was so much water everywhere & the homes were adorable! I loved just driving around in the neighborhoods! We stayed at a cute airbnb with everyone.

The second day was Meagan's graduation! It is so awesome that she graduated with a Doctorate & is now a Pharmacist!!! So cool! We were so happy we were able to make it out for her graduation! Afterwards, we got lunch at a seafood place right on the water, Nate was so happy to get a lobster roll! Then we went to look at the Newport Mansions & walked through the Vanderbilt one. It was sooo interesting! We got headphones that connected to a phone & you could go through each room & then listen to information about it. It was so cool hearing facts about the house & the Vanderbilts, it made me really want to learn more about their family. The house was also amazing & looked like some of the places in Paris! It was right on the water too, so afterwards, we sat in the backyard by the beach with Jocelyn & Lily on a blanket. It was so cute seeing them play with toys together. The best toy was a brochure that they kept grabbing back & forth from each other! After the mansion we got dinner at a cute place & then headed back to our airbnb.

The next day, we were leaving from Boston. The flight back went good. Lily was fussy for a few minutes but then fell asleep on me so I was nervous to move & ended up sitting all weird for the whole flight so that she wouldn't wake up, haha! She was really the best little traveler though & we had such a fun family trip!