Our Little Evergreen

I loved the experience of getting real Christmas tree. It was a first for me, and a bit more stressful than just bringing up the boxed, pre-lit tree from the basement (I still love that too, by the way). I kept saying, "we need one that is a perfect triangle with branches evenly spaced and no empty spots..." When it came down to it, these trees are beautiful because they are imperfect and individual! And when we tied our little guy to the roof of our car, brought it down the stairs to our basement apartment and set it up with my grandma's 50-year-old tree stand, I was proud. 

Welcome to the family, my little evergreen. 

Then, I meticulously covered it with lights and wouldn't let Michael help because I'm a control freak. He's used to it.

^^ daddy's girl ^^

 ^^ we need to work on our mommy daughter picture poses ^^

^^ almost ^^

 // my man bringing home the spoils //

Six Months

Six months feels like a huge accomplishment. I didn't do much, besides let Father Time do his duty, but WOW am I proud to be this girl's mama and see how much she has grown. The other day Michael and I were talking about how she turned out a lot like we expected - driven, energetic, animated, and loves people. We can't get enough of her (except for at 3 a.m...)

Rice cereal 10.8.13 and the love of sweet potatoes 10.17.13

Giggling. Oh I would do anything to keep her giggling all day long 10.9.13

A sharp tooth! Right down in front. 11.17.2013

Her first cheerleading stunt. I guess these are the things her and her dad do while mom's away at work... 11.15.2013

Sitting up all by herself 11.22.13

Growling. So much for that girly squeal (that was two octaves too high). She's now got a sassy little growl going on. If she does it for you, it means she likes you. 11.23.13

Her first taste of solid food! She's chomping down on bread, mashed potatoes, cheerios... just about anything that's bite size. 11.23.2013

A baking session with Grandma Carter. Pies, pies and more pies. 11.27.13

Oh, and don't bother putting shoes on her feet. She's a genuine shoe-dini. So long. my favorite Gap booties!

^^ meeting aunt joan and aunt judy ^^

^^ tummy time on her favorite quilt (thanks Daryl for making it!) ^^

^^ munchin' on some cereal, and the toothbrush is her new favorite toy ^^

^^ baking pies with mimi. her face! ^^

^^ sitting up! ^^

^^ loves her new friend hayden
note to self - she looks like a boy without a bow ^^

^^ my little coug's got some tricks up her sleeve! ^^

Halloween

Enough said. This cow girl made halloween my favorite ever. 

Holidays are not holidays until you have kids.

Christmas come faster!

Four Months For Baby Jane

Every parent has told me that as much fun as having a baby is now, it gets even better. From what we've experienced, they are so right. Our love for this little big-eyed beauty has grown every day, and we love seeing her personality and spirit have come out more and more. It's amazing how much of a difference just a couple months makes. Well, baby girl is actually five months today, but since I missed the four month mark, here's a little recap.

At exactly 12 weeks, Emma Jane rolled over from her back to her tummy. We were playing on the floor in the back of Relief Society when she was trying to eat her hand so bad, she followed it all the way to her tummy. That's my girl. She'll do what it takes to get what she wants.

Instead of the sweet girly sigh, she found her squeal

No more pack 'n play, she's now in her big girl crib

Four months also comes with more spit up, and one night she got me right in the face. Sick.

She's getting ready to sit up! We got her a Bumbo and call her "Bumbo" whenever she sits in it.

She has a great sense of self esteem and LOVES gazing at her own big blue eyes in any mirror available. I put her in front of a full length mirror on the floor while I work from home to keep her company

She got her first tooth!! And it's a molar on the bottom right. So advanced :) Who needs front teeth anyways?

She loves being outside. We go for long walks every Friday and look at all the cute houses here in SLC.

Bath time is the best time

squealing

 snoozing

bumbo-ing

gazing

strolling

bathing

stunning

The Two Month Mark

Baby girl is two months old!! Where in the world did the time go? I have to say, these past few months of getting to know our new best friend have been the funnest months in a long, long time. We've watched her grow from a quiet little newborn, to a cooing, smiley, Emma Jane.

Some of my favorite moments:

Mornings! She is up and at 'em at 5:30 with a big old grin. She can't move her arms and legs fast enough, there's so much energy.

The way she holds her binkie to her mouth. Genius!

Those baby blues. I could stare into them all day.

Her sneezes. Always at least two or three times, sometimes five in a row. She's just like her daddy.

Those little cooing sounds just melt my heart. She sighs and squeels while batting her eyes and tilting her head. Our little Shirley Temple.

She's got a lot of passion - that's what I like to call it - you know when she's happy and you know when she's mad. Wears her feelings on her sleeve, that's for sure.

After a month of training, we almost have the car seat down. Being confined is not her favorite.

And...she LOVES her binkie (or paci as Michael calls it). Don't go anywhere without a binkie, or else.

Anneliese's good friend Walker took some newborn and family shots for us a while back, and I was waiting until now to share them. Check out his site! He's incredible.

and now for this family of mine

oh how I love em

thank you Emma Jane for joining us

 

Blessed

On Saturday, July 6 we blessed Emma Jane. We did things a little differently and held the blessing on our own because our family was leaving before church the next day. 

It was such a beautiful day. I loved how intimate it was with just our family at the church building. And nothing quite compares to watching your husband take your daughter in his arms, surrounded by grandfathers, uncles and friends and give her a blessing of love, hope, health and a wonderful life.

July Fourth Beach Day

It's that time again

Fourth of July at the Carter's!! My absolute favorite family tradition, and this year, we added babies!

Don't worry, we kept them protected from the sun. Full on tents, sun screen and lots of cuddling. Emma Jane was in heaven. She was held all day long and slept like a dream. I think she likes the sound of the ocean. 

I love this picture of our two dads and their babes. This is one to look back on for sure...

Presley, Jillian and Sophie were making up a dance in the sand... 

brings me back to me and my sister

She is her daddy's girl. Look at them! Exact same face. 

Loved getting to hang out with baby Harper. She is hysterical and such a happy girl! She's got her mama's pretty eyes and her daddy's fun-loving personality. I just wished we lived a little closer so these girls got to see each other more. I have a feeling they are going to be very good friends. 

This is the life, huh Emma Janers

That's my girl!!

(her hair looks so red. It's really just a little strawberry)