Amy Jensen's Wedding

This is the only picture we got of my sister on our camera because we forgot to bring the camera to the temple, and then when we went to the reception, the battery was low. So we got this one and then some more of the girls dancing. Hopefully my family and friends will be sending me pictures soon so that I can use them on the blog as well. Hope you enjoy what I've got.

Dancing the night away

Amy Crashes

When you aren't at home, sometimes it is difficult to get your kids to take naps. Well this was one of those days where Amy just wouldn't go down for a nap. She wondered around the house all morning eating her new favorite treat--Quaker's Chocolate Crunch Rice Cake. She ended up in Daddy's lap before she finished it, and before too long she just crashed. Nothing could be more comfortable than Daddy's tummy for a nice long (not long enough) nap.

So my mother made not just my girls matching dresses, but all four of her granddaughters matching dresses. And since it was the first time they had all been together, Grandma wanted her picture of them. Well Amy really wasn't up for taking the picture, so Aunt Rachel, (Heather and Katy's mom), bribed them all with little pieces of licorice. So the pictures where the girls are reaching out, they are begging for more licorice. If you can stand to watch them all, you might get a kick of their facial expressions and how there are 12 pictures and not one where they are all smiling at the same time and all looking at the camera.

Never a perfect picture

Farewell to the beard

Well as most of our local friends may know, when we left May 7th for our month long trip, Dustin was sporting a very handsome, full beard. He'd had it since Christmas time, and I actually enjoyed it. But for the sake of a family wedding, Dustin graciously shaved his beard, and of course when you do something like that, you've got to take advantage of enjoying some new looks along the way. Since the beard had to go, Dustin thought maybe he could sport another look, and we were wondering what your opinion is on each of the following options:

Option 1: The goatie

Option 2: Super Mario Mustache

I couldn't look at Dustin with the mustache without laughing hysterically. Anyone else? I still laugh when I see this photo

Daddy and Adelynne playing "Go Fish"-Gotta love the shades, and ignore the shiny lights from Dustin's shirt

Adelynne and Grandma Great's Bunny Trudy


Amy being cute-not hard for her

Adelynne and Ethan enjoying the carseats

These are pictures from our stay at Cold Creek with Grandpa and Grandma Belt--see below for details

Picmic With Adelynne

Last night after a long day of fun in the sun and dinner with friends, Dustin and I began the long drawn out process of putting the girls to bed. There isn't much to it other than putting the girls in clean diapers and pjs, but actually getting them into bed is the part that takes forever. While I nurse Amy and get her into "sleepy mode" Adelynne is usually entertained by Dustin. This takes about an hour before Adelynne goes to bed herself. Well, last night while I nursed Amy, Adelynne was playing by herself while Dustin was working on some school assignment. From my room I could hear Adelynne talking about having a picnic as she ran from her room to the living room collecting kitchen toys. After I got Amy to bed I was putting my own pjs on, when Adelynne came into my room and announced, "Mommy I made a picmic for me and you and Daddy. But we have to wait for Daddy." I asked her what Daddy was doing and she said, "Daddy is playing caputer." She then grabbed my hand and said, "Come on, we have a picmic!" When we got to the living room Adelynne had set up a very cute picnic inside the inflatable swimming pool that we have still not deflated since last Saturday. She had little plates with cups and pretend food. There was a plate with ice cream, a cooked chicken, a mushroom, and a muffin. Daddy went for the chicken, but Adelynne said, "No Daddy, that's for me." So Daddy got the mushroom and I got the muffin and we all pretended to eat our food. When Adelynne wasn't looking I did the 'ol throw the food over my shoulder. When Adelynne saw that my muffin was really gone, her eyes got wide and she had a look of worry on her face. Daddy was backing me up on this endeavor and Adelynne began lecturing me, "Just pretend eat, Mommy!" Well Dustin and I reassured her that I hadn't really eaten the muffin and we showed it to her. Then we all got to share the pretend ice cream as well. It was the best "picmic" we have enjoyed with Adelynne, I think all of her hard work and preparations really paid off, I only wish my picnics had as much success as hers. Happily we ended the picnic by putting Adelynne to bed, and she was happy to go.

Before she's 3?

Last week Adelynne started potty training, and she's still in full force! She's doing a great job with only an accident now and then. She is getting closer to going poop in the potty too. She's got the peepee down pretty good, so Dustin and I are keeping our fingers crossed that she'll be out of diapers by the time she is three--that is only a couple of weeks away! We don't have any secret to our success. We've been trying to do this for months, but Adelynne has had no interest until last Monday when SHE decided that she wanted to wear her panties. Adelynne gets rewarded with a Hershey's Kiss after going potty, (because only chocolate is a good enough reward), and she has already received Arial Barbie for her accomplishments. When she finally goes poop in the potty, Daddy is going to take her to DQ for her choice of ice cream, and she will also get a Cinderella Barbie. WooHoo!! Yeah for potty training and no more diapers!!!!

Home Again

Well the Belt Family has finally returned to West Lafayette after almost 5 weeks of being on the road! Whew! We all had a great time visiting with our family and friends back in Las Vegas, Nevada, and in Rocklin, California.

We started out in Las Vegas visiting with Dustin's family. We stayed with Dustin's parents at their house in Cold Creek and while we were there, we all experienced some real mountain like living. On the mountain there were herds of wild mustangs and we saw many new foals with their mothers--which were very protective. Sometimes they would bray at us and stomp their feet if we were too close when we walked on by. The neighbors to Dustin's parents both have roosters, so they crowed all day long, and every time Adelynne heard one she'd say, "A rooster!" Adelynne also saw daily goats, turkeys, and peacocks. Adelynne also enjoyed a daily ritual of walking down to the creek (Cold Creek), and feeding the fish bread and then throwing rocks at them. Amy also attended us on these outings, but not as frequently, she enjoyed being in the house more because she could practice her walking. Dustin grew up in a dome home where his parents still reside, and Amy enjoyed going around and around and around the house. The first five days she would make either mommy or daddy walk her around the house again and again, usually mommy and daddy would do about 5 or 6 trips before we'd make her find something else to do. Then we found a baby doll stroller that she could push around herself, which she did for a few days, and then on our second week there, we came home from church, and she just started walking by herself! She bruised herself up a bit, but she'd just keep going. While in Las Vegas we also were able to visit with Dustin's siblings and their families, and it was really fun to re-introduce Adelynne and Amy to all of their cousins. The girls had a great time playing with them all. We even got to spend time with our best friends Aaron and NIki Patty and their boys Ethan and Owen. We really had a great time with everyone, we just wish we had had more time with them all.

We left Las Vegas after two weeks and drove to Palmdale, CA where my Aunt Michelle picked us up from the rental car drop off. It was the first time in a year that we got to see my aunt and uncle and their four kids. It was fun to see how they had all grown and changed. My Grandma picked us up from there and drove us to her house in Tehachapi, CA. Amy woke us up right before 6am throwing up our first morning there. She threw up again later in the morning, but she seemed to still be in a good mood. Grandma Great took the girls to the best store in town--kMart--to buy them both a new toy. Adelynne studied out all of her options, but decided that "My Little Pony" toys were what she wanted. Amy also studied her options and didn't get very excited about anything until she saw the baby dolls. She wanted to hold them but they were all in boxes so she eventually gave up on them and pushed them away. Then she found a popper toy that plays music instead of popping and she was very happy with that until she found a baby doll that was not in a box and it took her all of half a second to throw the toy to the side and hold that baby doll. It was so cute! Amy just loves baby dolls. Once we got back to Grandma Great's house things just went downhill for Amy. She continued throwing up and couldn't keep any solids or liquids down. Luckily she still nurses so she would nurse from me and throw up. Meanwhile, Adelynne played with her new toys and enjoyed Grandma Great's bunnies. Grandma has six rabbits and two of them are Netherland Dwarfs and they are soooo cute. Adelynne got to hold then and pet them, and she enjoyed going out to feed them all with her Grandma Great. Amy spent three days throwing up and sleeping in mommy's lap. On occasion she would sit up and look around and it would seem like she was perking up, but then she would just collapse in my lap and fall asleep again. She became so week that she didn't have energy to move and therefor she lost her ability to walk that she had learned to do. On the third day I decided to take Amy to the emergency room because she was having high fevers and I figured she had ear infections. She did, and we got her some antibiotics. She continued to sleep throughout the day and she was in no way herself when her Grandpa and Grandma Biggs showed up at Grandma Great's house later that day. Luckily Adelynne had not been sick at all so she was great entertainment for all. However that night Adelynne woke mommy and daddy up because she was throwing up. Dustin and I and the girl stayed home from church the next day and sent the grandparents off with no little girls to show off. I'm sure they were all dissapointed. Sunday night more cousins and aunts and an uncle all came to visit and to take their chances on getting the bug. But we were glad they came, and I'm sorry that they all got sick a few days later. My parents drove us and our family back to Rocklin the next day. It was time to start getting ready for a wedding.

Our time in Rocklin with my parents was relaxing and somewhat entertaining, and I guess a little stressful as well. I had to host a bridal shower for my sister, which actually turned out to be really fun since it was a small crowd. We visited with more cousins and my brothers and my nieces, and Amy and Adelynne both recovered from their sickness. I enjoyed my time with my sister Amy before she got married. We ran a lot of errands getting ready for the wedding, but we spent some time shopping too. I got to visit with my good friend Phoebe and her boys Salem and Lincoln and my best friend Ashley. After our first week in Rocklin the girls really started adjusting to new schedules and new faces so life was more relaxing for Dustin and I. However Dustin and I took turns sleeping on a bed with Adelynne or sleeping on the couch by ourselves. Adelynne did not want to sleep by herself. The days finally wore away, and June 7th arrived--the day of my sisters wedding. It was a beautiful day and my sister was absolutely stunning. It all still seems so surreal to me, Amy is married. The reception was fun, I saw lots of old friends from my childhood and danced until my feet hurt so much that I could only walk on my heels. I had a few bites of cake and about three glasses of punch--it was my favorite. After everything got cleaned up we drove back to my parents house--it was about 11:30pm. We got the girls in pjs and Dustin and I started packing up all our stuff. We finally got to bed at 12:45am. We woke at 4am after a "short nap" and left for the airport so that we could catch our 6am flight. Luckily we had a really awesome airport official get us through the long line at security and then we got to preboard so that really helped things run a little smoother for us. The girls did pretty well minus a few tantrums mostly from Adelynne. But after a layover in Denver, another two hour flight, waiting 45 minutes for our shuttle, we reunited with our car and drove home. Adelynne actually cried to go back to Grandma Biggs' house all through the Indianapolis Airport and for a significant amount of the ride home. But it wasn't until we drove over the Wabash river into West Lafayette did she become excited about going home. And then she began saying "We're almost home to my house!" And we made it home.

I know we have missed so much with everyone here in West Lafayette the last month, and we hope that we get the chance to catch up with everyone. We are glad to be back home with our friends and we're anxious to get our lives in order again. I do have some pictures to post from our trip, but it might be a while, but hopefully not.

And Now She's 1

Amy had her first birthday yesterday, and it was pretty much like any other day except she got to eat a big piece of strawberry cake and a dozen or so people sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Actually she seemed a little fussier than usual, but only her mother would notice that. Well in tribute to the birthday girl, here's the list of things she has or has not accomplished by her first birthday:

1. she can crawl
2. she can use a spoon to eat with
3. she has 4 teeth
4. she can almost walk
5. she doesn't like milk, therefore she still nurses full-time
6. she's learned to say "uh-oh," "da-da," and "hhhii" (drag out the h and the i sounds)
7. she can point that cute little finger at anything or nothing
8. she's learning to walk
9. a couple of times she has signed "more," but since the last time, laughs hysterically whenever mommy signs it to her
10. when she holds a baby doll, she rocks it back and forth and lays her head on its head--soooo cute!
11. she climbs on everything she can
12. she loves going up and down stairs, and every time I climb the stairs to our apartment, she whines to get down so she can do them herself

And the thing Amy does best of all is she puts a smile on her mommy's face!

Happy Birthday to Amy!

Windy

So we've been having some windy days, and it just seemed like the perfect excuse to buy a kite. So I did, and we all enjoyed our kite flying experience. Dustin and I hadn't flown a kite in years, in fact we really couldn't remember when we did it last. But we had a great time, even Adelynne had a chance to fly the kite too, but she and Minnie mostly enjoyed just watching and being tossed by the wind. Amy got tired of the stroller and got to crawl around on the grass while I was flying the kite.

Kite Flying

Sunny Day

Almost 1!

Well, Amy is only a few days away from her first birthday, and we can't wait!  We've planned a big party with friends (more like a glorified play-group).  However, she's developed another runny nose, so we hope that she won't be sick on her big day.  

Amy's top two teeth have finally poke through, and it won't be long until her smile is full of teeth, not just the bottom two.  I'm going to miss her little smile with just those teeth!  Her taste for food is steadily changing, and now she pretty much refuses to eat food that requires help from mom and dad (like oatmeal and yogurt).  Well, actually she will eat them if she can do it herself, which Daddy has allowed without my knowledge (which is okay), but it is just funny to come into the room and Amy is covered in oatmeal, along with the floor, the chair, and everything else nearby.  

Amy has also been practicing her walking skills, and is really improving.  She loves to cruise the furniture and push along bikes and strollers outside.  Today I caught her standing all alone without hanging onto anything!  I think that she surprised herself too because she gave off a nervous little laugh when I looked at her.  

Tagged by me

No one tagged me, but I thought I'd share anyway:

10 years ago I was a freshmen in high school anxiously waiting for my first year of torture to end.

To do list:

1. get rid of the excess stuff in my apartment

2. clean my apartment

3. read my veterinary technician magazines

4. finish Northanger Abbey

5. play Candy Land with Adelynne

5 snacks I enjoy:

1. cookies--any will do

2. curves strawberry and creme granola bar

3. apple slices

4. water

5. this one is hard, I really don't snack unless someone gives me a plate of food

5 foods I love:

1. white bread

2. cereal with milk

3. pizza

4. teriyaki chicken

5. cake, cookies, doughnuts, brownies, (anything in the baked goods section)

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire:

Pay off all our debts, pay off all our families debts, set my dad up for retirement, by my in-laws house, send my in-laws on a cruise to Alaska, pay for my sisters wedding, and give her lots of money as a wedding gift, by a house in California, put lots in savings, set up college funds for the kids, go on cruise after cruise--see the world by cruise boat (you know, eventually).  Oh yeah, buy a hydrogen powered car.

Places I have lived (that I remember):

1. St. George, UT

2. Auburn, CA

3. Provo, UT

4. San Diego, CA (for the summer)

5. West Lafayette, IN

Favorite Quote:

"Love you, Mommy."  -Adelynne Belt

Not Again!

So we were at the mall today enjoying some nice indoor fun with our friends at the children's play area.  All was going so well, but then, da da da. . . . poor Adelynne fell down and smacked her mouth on the edge of the slide. . . in the exact same place she did on Tuesday, except this time she bit her upper lip really bad and was bleeding a lot.  And then her front right tooth was also bleeding again, but more this time.  Aaaaargh!!!!  So if that tooth wasn't going to turn brown by luck, it definitely will now.  Her lip began to swell immediately, and she now has a fat lip, her gums are purple and bruised, and she has what appears to be a bruise mustache.  (She received a bruise on the left side of her upper lip on Tuesday, and today one on the right side of her upper lip).  

But you should all know that Adelynne is such a trooper, and must have a high tolerance for pain, (or at least more than her mother does-I admit it, I'm a wimp).  When she fell today she did scream in agony, and she continued for several minutes as everyone at the mall stared at us. But soon she quieted down, and the bleeding was down to a minimum, and she said, "I'm okay now."  And once we got home I was checking her teeth and gums probably every five minutes because of my paranoia, and each time she would say, "I'm all better," or "I'm okay now."  Adelynne's just the kind of girl who's not afraid to get back on the horse.  (What that means to me, is that I'm going to have to pray that much harder for her safety and recovery).

The Dentist visit

On Tuesday we had a bit of a crazy day.  Let me start with some background information:  At the playground is a large mattress that some neighborhood kids dragged there.  Well, Minnie and Adelynne enjoy jumping on the mattress after they slide down the slides.   But on Tuesday the mattress had been moved to a spot next to a ladder.  Well, Adelynne and Minnie were jumping on the mattress as usual, when they bumped into each other and Adelynne fell onto the bottom rung of the ladder hitting her mouth.  When I checked her mouth to look for the source of some bleeding, I noticed some chipped teeth and some bleeding gums.  I decided that she needed to see a dentist ASAP.  

I called the dentist and they said to come right over.  I hung up the phone and started gathering my things.  I realized that my keys were missing, and thought they must be in my purse.  So I started looking for my purse.  I could not find my purse or my keys and realized they were locked up in the car.  Dustin wasn't home and had just recently left for school.  I asked to borrow my friends car, but her car was a stick--I don't drive sticks!  So I was running out of options that were close by and I decided to ask my awesome neighbors downstairs if I could get a ride.  They of course were eager to help me out.  Then of course I didn't know exactly how to get to the dentist office so I misdirected my neighbor until I could get better directions by calling the dentist office.  But we made it. 

Adelynne was very cooperative for the dental hygenist and for the dentist.  She held perfectly still for the x-ray too.  The dentist relieved some of my anxiety when he showed me the x-ray showed no fractures in her teeth.  However the roots on three of her front right side teeth were pushed to about a 45 degree angle instead of being straight.  So what might happen is that they'll turn brown until they fall out and her adult teeth grow in.  Three of her front teeth are also slightly chipped along the edges.  We have to keep a careful eye out for any abcesses or infection around the front right tooth.  

Adelynne is being a pretty good sport about it all.  I know that she does experience some discomfort, especially at meal times, but things are getting better.  Other than a little pain, she's herself, and thankfully isn't upset about her chipped teeth.  Mommy however is trying to recover from the damage done to Adelynne's smile.  But of course I still think she's as cute as ever.  We are definitely grateful that her injuries were minor and not any worse.  

And I just want to say a big thank you to my friends Christina and Doreen for all of there help.  

Birdie, birdie in the sky....

First, let me begin with a poem:  

Birdie, birdie in the sky,

why'd you do that in my eye?

Gosh I'm glad that cows don't fly.

So I was walking home from my friend's house yesterday, when as usual I walked under a large tree to get to my door. I felt a light thump on my shoulder and thought a twig fell from the tree, but I looked over my shoulder to see bird poop on my jacket and in my hair.  Yuck!!!!!  I have never been pooped on in my life, and I hope it never happens again.  So my warning to all my friends and family: be careful under the trees and watch out for the birds!  

Oh, and I really am glad that cows don't fly!