Joy's Clapping Tutorial

Step 1:

Step 2:

Repeat as desired.

Save the Half Dance for Me

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but life sure changes when you have a baby. Take this weekend's Stake Valentines Dance/Fiesta, for example . . .


Phillip and I spent our first Valentine Dance together enjoying a leisurely dinner with friends and then dancing the night away. This year we took turns feeding Joy bits of cheese enchilada and blessing the mariachis for keeping her entertained.

By the time the dance portion of the evening rolled around, it was Baby's bedtime and she was starting to get fussy. We handed her off to a friend in an effort to dance at least one number together before the meltdown, but halfway through the song Joy made it clear she was having none of it. We picked her up and danced as a trio for a while, but she soon tired of that, too, so we headed home.

Ah, parenthood. It often complicates things that would have been simple affairs two years ago, but I wouldn't trade it.

Under the Pink Tree

The rain let up a bit this afternoon, so Baby and I decided to take a stroll and enjoy the world.

Hey, who's that little girl under the pink tree over there?

I think I've met her before. Let me think . . .

What's for Lunch?

I know you've all been dying to know, "What is Joy eating for lunch lately????" Wonder no further . . .

"Really--I can finish this by myself."

"Nice job on the sandwich, Mom, though a little extra jam wouldn't hurt."

And the current most-favored food: mandarins! Laura Vaden calls them nature's candy, and Joy thoroughly agrees.

Out and About

Joy and I went on a little Metro train adventure today.

"Is the train here yet?"

You'll notice Joy isn't wearing any socks. Since it's so warm out, she decided to go barefoot and work on her wicked sock-tan.

Between errands, we stopped to smell the flowers. I love Chinese magnolias - the sight of all these big pink blossoms in the middle of winter always makes me happy.

Joy was all smiles in the See's Chocolate shop. Like mother, like daughter.

Something tells me we're getting close to naptime. Time to head home . . .

True Grit

Most parents feel a certain amount of anxiety as their babies grow up. "Will they make good choices? Will they play nice with the other kids? Will they find good friends?" I worry about all these things now and then, but what really terrifies me as Joy crawls relentlessly toward childhood is . . .

. . . dirt. We went to the park today with some other moms from the ward and holy sandbox, Batman! There was dirt everywhere! Now, I wasn't born yesterday--I know any park (and most of the planet, for that matter) has lots of dirt. However, for some reason I wasn't emotionally prepared for it to come in contact with my pristine angel.

I must have held Joy on my lap for twenty minutes before I loosened up enough to at least let her play on the bench next to me. Of course, she immediately discovered a bunch of sand in one of its cracks. I could almost hear her baby thought process: "Oh hey! What's THAT??? It sure is fun to scrunch it between my fingers. I wonder what it tastes like. Hmm . . . tastes better than strained peas, but not as good as Cheerios. Better try some more just to be sure, though . . ."

I know all you veteran parents are laughing, as well you should. I understand that the more mobile Joy gets, the more components of Mother Nature will find their way under her fingernails and through her digestive tract. That's hard for a compulsive nose-wiper like myself to accept, but I'm working on it.

In the meantime, we invested in some outdoor shoes and a sturdy pair of jeans. I'm steeling myself for the fact that those cute white flowers won't stay white for long, and the brown shoes are destined to get, um, browner. Heaven help me the first time Joy eats a bug.

Favorite Things

These days, Joy's a big fan of . . .

Our flowering Jade Plant (also called a Money Plant - too bad that's not literal :)

Raisins

Blocks

Walking with Daddy . . .

. . . especially when he's sporting the "tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious" look.

"You're going to put this on the blog, aren't you?" You know it, hon.