First Day In Nursery

So Friday was Evelyn's 18 month mark and you all know what that means; NURSERY! Yep, that's right. Today was Evelyn's very first day in nursery. Like Jocelyn, I can officially say that I never cheated and took her in early as tempting as it was. It's hard to say since I wasn't there but I think she did good. She looked pretty happy when I came in to get her, green putty on her hair and face and all. I did alright without her too. At first I thought it would be a relief to get a two hour break during church but when I put her in there it was harder to let go than I thought. I actually really missed her those two hours. I did pretty good though. I was only tempted to peak in through the little crack in the nursery door once. I just can't believe my little girl is old enough to be in nursery already. It's crazy how fast these last 18 months have gone by. The teachers in nursery, Sister Bunting & Sister Prince, are awesome and I'm grateful for what they do. I just know Evelyn is really going to enjoy being in there with them and with all the other little children her age.

Bathtub Fun!

Evelyn had such a great time in the bathtub the other day. I got the camera out and she made all sorts of funny faces at me. I couldn't get her to stop. Just one look after the other so I just kept taking pictures and I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

Best Baby Shower Ever!

So, it's official. I have the coolest friends of all time! On Saturday I had THE BEST baby shower ever! The day was so GREAT. I got to the party and everything was set up so nicely outside with green and blue balloons and everything. The weather was nice. The food was great! Who would have thought to combine little french toast squares with fruit. And last but not least the company was awesome! It was so nice to see all of my friends and family all in one place and to get a chance to catch up on the latest happenings in all of their lives. I am grateful that all of my guests could take the time out of their busy schedules to come and support me. It's really nice to know that I have so many people that I can count on and that I can call my friends. I hope Jocelyn, Natalie, Monica & everyone else that contributed know how grateful I am that they hosted such a wonderful shower and how awesome I think they all are. Thank You! Oh yeah, and how could I forget to mention all of the really sweet gifts that everyone brought. Preston is going to be the best dressed little man in town. I have to say that his wardrobe is way bigger than mine now. It's a huge relief to know that I won't need to buy him anything for a long while (unless I want to of course). I am even more excited now for the arrival of this sweet baby boy and can't wait to dress him up in all of his new clothes. Andy is especially excited about the little DJ shirt that Jocelyn made for him and he even plans on buying him his own set of turntables so he can mix it up with his Daddy. Thanks again to Natalie & Jocelyn and to everyone else that helped and to all of my guests. You gals are amazing!

Robot Dance

I guess all that listening to music while in the womb really does pay off. Evelyn has become quite the little dancer and she'll dance to just about anything. It does help that her daddy's a DJ and quite the musician himself so it's no wonder. I still remember the very first song she ever danced to; Dancing Queen by Abba. Not that it wasn't impressive, because it was, but back then it was just a few bobs of the head and waving her arms sporadically but now she actually has moves (she's way better than me!). In fact, just the other day the funniest thing happened. I was online signing on to myspace and up comes this little side banner with a dancing robot. I barely noticed it but Evelyn who was sitting on my lap noticed this little dancing robot and just started cracking up. She thought it was so funny and actually started copying the robot and doing what Andy and I have coined to be the "Robot Dance". It is so cute! And now whenever we want her to do the dance we just have to tell her to do the robot dance and she does it. I am so proud of my little Dancing Queen!

Fun Game!

I've seen other people do this on their blogs and they're usually pretty funny so I thought I'd give it a try. What you do is google "your name needs" and see what comes up. For example, I typed in "Amber needs" and here's what came up for me:

1. Amber needs two-to-three hours of therapy a day. (After reading the rest of these this might be true)
2. Amber needs support for all her basic living functions, including personal care for bathing, toileting and feeding. (Hey, I'm not that bad YET!)
3. Amber needs almighty God's Power.
4. Amber needs your help. (Sure, if you can clean my house)
5. Amber needs the socialization and stimulation a group home would offer. Without it she will "shrivel up and die."
6. Amber needs to be exterminated!! (That seems a little harsh don't you think)
7. Amber needs to win, she needs to be strolled in like the princess that she is, to receive her crown.. Go Amber Go!! (That's right, Go ME!)
8. Amber needs to be supervised very closely
9. Amber needs more sunlight. (What?, you don't like the pasty look?)
10. Amber needs to take a chill pill.
11. Amber needs help with anything in the kitchen. (How did they know?)
12. Amber needs to talk with the Branch President. (Uh-Oh, Busted)

Visit to the Doctor

Today was Evelyn's well visit to the doctor. She did great and she was so cute too! When we first got there she was all smiles and she gave a big show for the receptionist. We went straight to the playroom which is always a treat because only the "healthy" kids get to go in there. Right away when we walked in she recognized the two things she loves most; toys & a baby. She could not keep her eyes off of the baby and she wanted to just smother her with kisses until finally the baby had to go. Not to worry though, a few minutes later a 3 year old boy came in to the room to play and Evelyn got such a kick out of him. For a long while she just sat and stared at him as if she couldn't believe there where actually other people her size. To break the ice the little boy got a book to read and Evelyn sat next to him while he "read" or "made up" the words to the book. It was so sweet! After that they played with one of those loopy bead things that just about every doctor’s office has and the little boy showed Evelyn how to use it. She was so entertained by the kid that when it was his turn to go she insisted on following him and threw a fit when I brought her back into the playroom. An hour and a half into the visit when it was finally our turn to see the doctor Evelyn was weighed and measured. She came in at 30 1/2 inches and 22 pounds which according to the doctor is "healthy but a little on the short side". She checked in fine and healthy. After the exam I had quite a long and "interesting" conversation with the pediatrician about the corruption of local hospitals and circumcision. I now know that in bible times men were circumcised on the 8th day which technically is the 9th day if you go by a 24 hour day and not the actual days. Anyway, the trip ended with Evelyn getting a shot in her leg and crying all the way out the door but the good news is that she doesn't need another shot for at least another 2 years and she didn't puke all over the doctors office like she did the last time she got shots. All in all it was a very successful trip to the doctor and Evelyn and I both can say that we made it out alive.

Aubrey Fern

This past Sunday, July 1st 2007, the youngest of my 8 nieces was blessed. Her full name is Aubrey Fern Mansius. She was born on April 26, 2007 and is my older sister, Nichole's, 3rd child. She is the cutest little baby ever. It was such a wonderful experience to be there for her on such a special day and to witness such a sweet blessing given to her from her father. It was also a great opportunity to spend some quality time with family to celebrate. She's just a baby now but I hope that she always knows that she has so many people that love her; her mom and dad, brother and sister, grandmas and grandpas, aunts (including myself) and uncles, and most importantly her Father in Heaven. I just know that she will have a fulfilling life and that she will accomplish great things. She is such a sweet little baby and I am proud to say that I'm her aunt.

Happy 4th of July!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4Th of July and I hope all of you are having a great day. I also wanted to say Thank You to all the people that fought and are currently fighting for this wonderful country. We couldn't do it without you. Keep up the good work!

Hola!

As most of you already know, my family took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I finally got all the pictures of the trip off of my camera so I thought I'd tell everyone how it went and post a couple of pictures. It was such an incredible trip. First of all it was "all inclusive" which is just about the best thing in the world. That meant unlimited food, dessert, and drinks anytime you wanted it AND you got to actually take advantage of the mini bar in the room and not pay. There were 4 very different restaurants to choose from; Mexican, Italian, Oriental, and Brazilian that all had really good food. We spent a huge majority of the time in the swimming pool where Evelyn got to splash around in her little floaty toy which she just loved and another huge majority of the time eating and drinking. I can know officially say that I am versed in the ways of drinks (all non-alcoholic of course). I've tried margarita (with the salt rim), strawberry daiquiri, cherry daiquiri, banana daiquiri and Pina Colada. Apart from all the swimming and eating we also went on a few excursions. The first place we went was a water/sea life park where they had some awesome water slides, a kiddy area, and a lazy river just for me. The BEST part was that they had a dolphin show and Andy got picked to do a trick with them. Another day Andy, David, Lindsey and I took a bus into Puerto Vallarta and took our own city tour. We walked past these cool sand creations and did a little bit of shopping. Later that night some of the couples; Andy and I, James and Nichole, & Scott and Tiffany went on a sunset cruise that was a lot of fun and very pretty. I got a little sea sick but managed to hold out until the end. The enjoyment continued the next day when all the girls got manicures together followed by all the guys getting manicures too. Some of the guys weren't so sure about it but I'm proud to say that Andy got his nails AND his extremely ticklish toes done and I took some pictures as proof. The next day was Andy's last day because he had to leave early so we went over to the spa and had massages on the beach. It was so nice and relaxing. Later that day we went on a channel cruise that was very interesting and fun especially since we had all 4 kids with us. I'm not sure which one was more entertaining; the gators, birds and wildlife outside the boat or the 4 wild animals we brought with us in the boat. I'm just glad the other passengers didn't throw us out. The last full day there we spent doing some more swimming in the pool, we went to the beach, and oh yeah... we got to try scuba diving (even if it was just in the swimming pool). Evelyn was so cute the whole trip. She loved the swimming pool especially playing with her cousins in the kiddie pool and she loved exploring the resort. Unlike her cousin, Eliza, it took her a while to get used to the sand on the beach but she eventually got the hang of it and enjoyed that too. Unfortunately, however, she was terrified of the ocean water and never did get used to it but she was a little trooper and let me take her in anyway. Overall it was an awesome trip were we got to spend quality time with the family, eat, swim, eat, and try new things. I definitely plan on doing it again someday.