Lagoon!

Last weekend we had the first Downs Family Day at Lagoon... in probably 20 years or more. Although only half of us were able to be there, we still have a great time. I hope that next time, all of us will be able to be there. :) (We did get to have Jamie's brother and cousin come with us, so that added to the good times!) Molly had a great time! She absolutely loves people watching - and what a better place to do it. She also loved the carousel and the train through the zoo. We couldn't have picked a better day to go... the weather was perfect! By the end of the day we were all a little wet (thanks to Rattlesnake Rapids) and very worn out.

First Steps!!!!

Today is Molly's 9 month birthday! Can you believe it?! We celebrated by going to the doctor and getting shots, hanging out with Uncle Kevin that got home from his mission yesterday...and taking our first steps!!! This came completely out of the blue. She has been free standing for a while now and cruising from sofa to coffee table etc. but she hasn't really seemed interested in walking. Then out of the blue today, while she was free standing, she decided to walk to the middle of the room. She took two good solid steps before I screamed - and then of course she looked up at me and fell down. My little girl can't be walking yet! What happened to my little peanut that wasn't big enough for her car seat?! I'll try to get a picture next time... or better yet, video!

Pretty in Pink

We went up to Grandma and Grandpa Bellamy's this weekend to play Rock Band. I had more fun taking pictures of Molly cause she looked so dang cute in the outfit that Auntie Jamie gave her!!! So here are some pics:

First Teeth!

Molly's first two teeth broke through a few weeks ago, boy could we feel them (razor sharp), but we couldn't see them. Now we can see them enough to take a picture. My little girl is growing up!

The Big Apple

Okay, so this is my attempt to update my blog more frequently... I'm just no good at this creative writing thing. I can't promise that it will be engaging, but I can promise to put some words on the page. So here it goes... (Great Grandma... this is for you!)

I momentarily lost my mind and decided that the three of us should take a week-long trip to NYC to see Chris and Ashley. Nick had never been and it is probably my most favorite place on earth... so I figured it was time that he experienced it. For months I had been worried that I had bitten off more than I could chew considering we would be taking along an 8-month old that is constantly on the move. But all of those nights of lost sleep... were completely in vain. We had a fabulous time! I am convinced that Molly is like her mama - a city girl at heart. She loved every single second of it! From the second we would leave the house in the morning she was wide-eyed and taking everything in. Long gone were the days of our little girl who wouldn't dream of sitting still for more than 10 seconds. She would sit in her stroller all day long and just stare at the world around her, in awe. Her very favorite thing was the subway! She would just stare at the people - without blinking - for fear that she would miss something! And who said that New Yorker's aren't friendly?! Take a baby and the friendlies come out of the woodwork! Although, I must say, the city, itself, is anything but kid-friendly. We did not find one changing table in the whole city - although Bloomingdale's had a counter that could double as one. I got to be an expert at changing Molly on my lap - and it's not as difficult as I had imagined!

I think blond haired, blue eyed babies must be an anomaly in the city because we got ohs and ahs like you wouldn't believe. Our favorite was the girl who gasped and said "Gerber's got a new baby!" What kind of parents would we be if we disagreed?! Anyway, it was very interesting to observe. It was honestly like they had never seen a baby with blond hair and blue eyes before.

While we were there we... took a carriage ride through central park, saw West Side Story, saw all of the typical sight-seeing spots, ate Crumbs and Magnolia cupcakes until we were ready to burst, discovered fun little neighborhoods off the beaten path, ate some amazing food (my favorite was the Cuban restaurant and the French bistro we stumbled across), and walked until our feet felt like they would fall off.

We had a fabulous time and wish we could go back again tomorrow! We love you Chris and Ashley! Thank you for having us!

I realized that we didn't take nearly as many pictures as we should have. But here are a few that we did take:

In Times Square:

Hershey Store:

(Commentary: We call Molly "peanut", and her initials are M&M (Molly Melinda), so we have always said she is our Peanut M&M. Picture is fitting.)

                                              

In front of the Freedom Tower being build on Ground Zero:

FAO Schwarz:

Mama and Molly's  Favorite Store! :

(We only look miserable because it as cold and windy...)

Carriage Ride  in Central park:

Statue of Liberty (yes, that is the spec in the background):

Dylan's Candy Bar:

Magnolia Bakery (which we frequented...):

Clinton Street Bakery Blueberry Pancakes (from Bobby Flay Throwdown)

... yes they are DELICIOUS!:

Happy Camper in Little Italy:

Outside of Macys in the rain:

Molly's favorite place... the subway:

Plane ride home:

Our 1st Anniversary... and that much more in love...

Well.... can you believe it? It's been an entire year! What a crazy thought! Nick and I had a super duper fabulous anniversary. We took a couple of days off and escaped town. We started our anniversary off where it all began - at the Salt Lake temple. We sat outside and absorbed the beauty of the day and remembered what it was like a year ago. It brought back so many wonderful memories. This is going to be our tradition. It's a great way to remember. Then we headed up to Park City. We stayed at the Stein Eriksen lodge at Deer Valley which was just beautiful. It is hidden up in the mountains (obviously - but this one more than others) and we were surrounded by changing leaves - which I took no pictures of! argh! It was so great to spend so much one-on-one time together. With Nick being at work and school, both full time, it made this getaway that much more wonderful. I am so lucky to have found someone who loves me so much and puts up with my craziness. I don't think anyone else could love me through it all! Example... Saturday morning on our way home... It was about noon and I hadn't eaten (bad news) and I broke into a sobbing mess because I wanted an Einstein bagel (well really I was the sobbing mess because my blood sugar had zeroed out). Nick just held my hand and found and Einsein's for me. Not getting frustrated with me at all (well, not that he showed, at least). I am so lucky to have him in my life. I can honestly say that I love him more today than I did the day that I married him, even though I would have never thought that possible. I'm one lucky girl :)

I'm 25 again! :)

My birthday was fabulous. Again I turned 25 and I love it! ;) Nick and I both took the day off and just spent time together - which was fabulous because he is gone so much with school. We went to lunch and went shopping and just took it easy. It was a really fabulous day. He got me the pair of Uggs that I wanted, so I was a happy girl :) That weekend we got together with Mom and Dad and Brad and Jamie and went to Texas Roadhouse for a b-day dinner. No b-day sombreros here - just saddles! Yuk! It really was a fabulous b-day :)