DC with Auntie M

Auntie M, Naomi, and I went to DC to watch Papa sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As soon as we sat down on the plane and Naomi realized that she was not going anywhere for a while, she started crying. Once we started Finding Nemo she calmed down. Three hours later we were happy to land. A big thank you to E and J for letting us stay at their house. It was a short trip but we were able to go to Georgetown, swim with E and the kids, meet Papa and Noni at that National Art Gallery, and go to Papa's performance at Wolftrap. The concert was really the highlight of the trip. Naomi was dancing and leading the music as the choir sang. It was fun to see the choir on tour. It really is different than what you see every Sunday. The choir even danced during some of the numbers! It surprised both Auntie M and myself. As usual, Alex Boye's solos were absolutely amazing. He even busted some awesome dance moves! The next morning we left early (5 am!) for the airport. We arrived home exhausted and excited to see Daddy. During the trip, Naomi started to call my phone Daddy so it was fun to see them reunite. Not only did Naomi and I get a fun vacation with Auntie M but Dustin installed wood floors on our main floor. Pictures coming soon....when my computer gets fixed.

Nursery

When I married Dustin I had no idea that he was good at do it yourself projects. He built our deck (with a lot of skepticism from me) and it turned out beautiful. He also built retention walls in front of our house (with a lot of skepticism from me) and it turned out wonderful. Are we seeing a pattern here? Yep, if you answered something about me not trusting, having faith in, or believing in Dustin or that Dustin is really good at home improvement you are right. I have come to realize that you don't have to be trained in construction to be able to do it, you just have to be willing to do the job right. In fact, when Dustin and I toured the Parade of  Homes I realized that he did an excellent job. In fact, a lot of his work was better than the work I was seeing in a lot of the homes. I have changed my thinking about DIY projects and am excited to help Dustin with some of our upcoming projects.

The most recent project has been Naomi's nursery. The wainscoting, painting, trim, and flooring are done! I couldn't be more proud of my amazing husband. He worked incredibly hard and learned how to do much of it as he went.
Here is what is left to do:
-crown molding
-painting the doors white
-buy a rug
-buy accessories
-paint the existing changing table
-make a pillow for the rocking chair
-hang artwork
-make curtains for window
-change out light fixture
-put outlet covers, switch plates, water main cover, and vent back on

before

after

ONE!

"Love it now, because she will grow up so fast!" After hearing this from countless friends, family, and complete strangers we still did not understand how fast she would grow up. Our baby is one, and she is thriving. This year has been a complete whirlwind and joy. We have absolutely loved watching Naomi grow and develop. She is a fun, energetic, smart baby with plenty of personality. Noni always says that she got in the personality line twice. She has brought joy to countless people, especially her Papa, Noni, and Auntie M.

We had a fun party for her and I was really excited for the smash cake. It totally backfired. This requires an explanation. When Naomi started eating solid foods we taught her to wipe her hands clean when she was done. Apparently, this created a child that hates having anything on her hands. Needless to say, she had no interest in touching the cake. We had to put her hands on the cake and she would promptly wipe them on her shirt.

A few days after her birthday party, we had her one year pictures taken. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Naomi's photographer, April Bladh. Naomi loves her and in a little over half and hour we finished Naomi's photo shoot. Here are some of our favorites.