Picnicking, A Running Attempt, Ketchup Exposure

First of all...HOW CUTE IS MARLI IN OVERALLS?!!

Never quite understood how much of an EVENT a big grocery shopping haul is with a baby... HOW DID YOU SURVIVE 5 CHILDREN OF THIS, MOM?!!

Got a picnic basket from Nana and Pop for our wedding. Used a few times in the BYU-I library...and now at the park with our Marli! 

Marli FINALLY fits into this outfit Grammy made years ago...SO CUTE!

Attempted a morning run together on Fanno Creek Trail, and learned real quick that a large portion is closed...BOO! Explored downtown Tigard and realized we can stroller to Value Village if necessity leaves us out of a car...haha




Today Marli had spinach, cherry tomatoes, avocado, sour cream...and we attempted ketchup, but I think she had more time PLAYING in it!

Marli made it VERY CLEAR tonight that she wanted a fork like we had...THANKS for the baby silverware, Nana!!

Here's video of our ketchup attempt...

Evening is my favorite time of day...dinnertime all together, bath, storytime, prayers, sleepy snuggles...

Can you BELIEVE how fast she's grown?! First picture she was about 1 month old...second was today at 6 months...



This poem has been on my mind a LOT lately...so grateful to be reminded of it when it seems that some days it's ALL messy...my hair, the bedroom, Marli, life...trying to SLOW DOWN and cherish this! My heart will burst one of these days, I love her so!

SONG FOR A FIFTH CHILD (by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton)

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth, 

Hang out the washing and butter the bread,

Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

OKAY best go clean up my face now...!!

Weekly Update - berry dehydrating, Costco adventuring, temple walking

Some highlights of this past week...

On one of our routine trips to the Trader Joes aisles, Marli told me she NEEDED strawberries. I mean, can you blame her?!

Attempted dehydrating them in our oven, turned out pretty tasty!

Tasted like fruit snacks!

Unexpected family trip to the dentist! Thankfully it was on a Friday when Evan had work off and could come with!

Funny story...we were supposed to spend all day Saturday at a preview day for Western University...we realized late the night before that it was happening at the POMONA CALIFORNIA campus...haha! Oops! Sooooo we got to PLAY together on Saturday!

Bowling! SUCH A GOOD FAMILY DATE with a baby...we'll be doing this again!

Hiking together in one of our favorite wildernesses...COSTCO!

Trying chicken...might be a favorite! She CHOWED IT!

Haha!

Wildflower bouquets are my FAVORITE EVER. Thanks babe!

New FOODS for our Marli this week!

LIMES! And LEMONS! She LOVES THEM!

Daddy's rib bone at Grammy and Grandpa's!

Blueberries, biscuits and cornbread at Cracker Barrel! WE LOVE THIS RESTAURANT!

Lasagna w/the Sister missionaries! Had to try after all my preggo lasagna dreams..

NOT Pictured:

• VALUE VILLAGE THURSDAY! Went w/Grammy, Ri, and Charley, and made BOMB panini's afterwards. Nice to spend some time w/Ri before she's off to BYU THIS WEEK!
• Dinner w/Nielsen's at El Señor! LOVE this family, and that we'll be close to each other a little longer.

"In case you were wondering...THIS is what it's all about." -Evan, on our walk around the temple today.

LOVELOVELOVE this little family of mine! FULL of gratitude this past week for them...and that I'm able to stay home to love on my little one. Being a wife and a mom to these two is the most tender, beautiful blessing I can imagine! 

Dinner Time JOY, The Little Things

Dinner time with a 6 month old is SO MUCH FUN!! We've been implementing concepts from Baby-led weaning, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. 

Videos are of the very first foods she ate - a banana and sweet potato!

Sweet potato, cucumber, veggie crackers, cheese - she LOVED the cucumbers!

Waffles, eggs, peaches, strawberries - LOVED strawberries 

Avocado, strawberries, corn on the cob

Bought our VERY FIRST sippy cup! She didn't put it down for over an hour!

So far favorite is strawberries! She's helping me remember the importance of slowing down and enjoying not only the food, but the people during mealtimes. It's one of the highlights of our day!

Also want to remember some of these small details...

Her little hand ALWAYS on my arm.

Again...

I mean SERIOUSLY?!! 

The MAGIC RAINSTICK. THANK YOU GRAMMY! Makes car rides bearable.

Why do shoes make her look 5 years older??

Starting to sit up! Introducing her to the magic of JoAnn's early. :)

Aaaand we have a 6 MONTH OLD!!

Can you believe it?! I can't. Here's a slideshow of our past few months with this little JOY. WE ARE OBSESSED WITH HER!!

Going to try to document a little more of life on the daily... I WANT TO REMEMBER THIS!!!!

Also...LOOK HOW PERFECT this shirt is for her. My Nana got it for her. It's my favorite item of clothing in our ENTIRE house.

WE LOVE YOU, MARLI GIRL!!!!