cashing in our free burrito coupons at chipotle // having Alyssa and Bon over for dinner // receiving my "happy package" from Emily  // watching fixer-upper with Madi and Campbell // going on a walk to the park with Mad & 4 kids under the age of 4 // the WARMTH (outside) // BBQing burgers with our friends The Sheffields and Churches - we're sure gonna miss them when everyone moves this summer! :(( // bouncing (ever so lightly) on the trampoline with Lydia and making her laugh really really hard // trying "thai rolled ice cream" at Roll With It Creamery <-- I had the strawberry shortcake with nutella and I highly recommend it! // finding the PERFECT light-wash jeans at old navy && them being on sale // coloring in Lydia's eyebrows // Stephen's football intramural game where Lydia was ZONKED out and Stephen caught three touchdown passes // tying the string of a helium balloon to Lydia's buttons so she could have something to look at (it kept her entertained for like 20 minutes!) // monthly family skype&scattergories // posting to my snapstory and then making stephen watch it because he's one of like 5 people that follow me on snapchat (haha) // putting flower-sunglasses on Lydia // my cousin Sarah and her fiancé bringing us a delicious crockpot dinner :) 

"Let's write mommy: M-O-M." -Kimbal, age 4

A thought on happy lists: I've mentioned before that I have a hard time knowing how to be REAL (aka not "fake") on social media while also not bringing negativity to a space that already has too much of it. I don't do these happy lists every week to brag about how wonderful my life is or to make people think my life is better than theirs. Trust me - I have my struggles both personally (this week I made the goal to brush my hair everyday and so far I'm 2 for 2 which is already a drastic improvement from last week! ha!) and as a mom (last Thursday I accidentally scratched Lydia in the forehead and made her bleed - now she has a scab!) but I record these lists because it's a great reminder for me to focus on the little things every day that make me laugh and make me happy. I have an amazing life and I love it - but I promise it's not perfect! My friend Emily (who inspired me to start recording these) explained why she started writing them in this post . She learned in a class that people who make a weekly list of things they are happy about/grateful for:

-  tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives

- are more observant and aware of the small beautiful things in day to day life that are normally overlooked

Isn't that cool?! It's such a simple thing and it increases happiness! You should try writing one and see if it makes a difference in your life,
_ _ _
han.

Yesterday, Stephen and I decided to color in Lydia's eyebrows with some eye shadow because we thought it would be funny. . . 

...we were right. It was hilarious. 

PS No those aren't Lydia's crocks, baha, but the last picture was just TOO FUNNY not to include. (Poor girl...)

A couple weeks ago the RootsTech conference (which centers around Genealogy & Family History) took place in Salt Lake. I didn't attend the conference, but one of my friends posted a link on Facebook that broadcasted different segments of the conference online. Since I spend most of the day at home with Lydia, I was able to listen to a few hours of the conference and found it really interesting! I was especially excited to be able to listen to one of my favorite bloggers (LoveTaza) and her husband give the Friday morning keynote address. 

When you think about it, blogging is kind of a weird concept - what is it about certain people and blogs that draw thousands and millions of readers every month? Naomi and Josh touched on this during their presentation, and the answer they came up with? STORIES. People love stories, and learning about other people's stories connects you to them. It doesn't matter if they are some random person you've never met living on the other side of the world, if they are a distant relative, or maybe an ancestor that lived 100 years ago - people feel connected through stories. 

“Some people might say, ‘I’m not really sure I have a story. They might say, ‘There’s not much to my story’ or ‘No one would be interested,’ but we want to tell you that you do and there is and they would be. You’re already writing your own story, whether you like it or not. The exciting part is it’s up to you to choose how you want to live and how your story will go. Your story doesn’t have to be like anyone else’s story because it’s yours.” -Josh Davis (as quoted in THIS ARTICLE by Deseret News)

I've mentioned before on my blog that I enjoy blogging and I do it primarily for myself. I like that it's a form of record keeping, and I enjoy writing and taking pictures, so blogging really is the perfect outlet/hobby for me. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I also like blogging because it's interactive. I like that it's out there on the internet for other people to read. I LOVE it when people tell me that they read my blog. I LOVE when people leave comments and acknowledge that my blog exists. I love that blogs connect me with friends that I haven't seen or talked to in a long time and makes me feel like I'm friends with people I've never met!

“Sometimes I feel like, 'Why do people want to tune in or follow along? Because I’m not climbing Mount Everest or starring in some big Broadway show. So much of my life is just the everyday, but I really do believe that the everyday is such a beautiful thing if you live your everyday with purpose.” -Naomi Davis

Listening to this keynote address made me proud to have a blog! It made me even more excited to record little tidbits from the everyday. It made me want to redouble my efforts to share STORIES (<--something that I plan to do more of!) 

Thank you for taking time to read my blog! I really do appreciate it, 

_ _ _

han.

PS If you don't have a blog, you should start one! I would love to read it! If you do have a blog and I don't follow it already, let me know! I'm always looking for more blogs to follow :)

a belated Valentine's date with my forever valentine on Monday // trying Rockwell ice cream co. (&& then going back later in the week with my family because it was that good!) // finally going to the Provo city center temple open house // getting a few things that have been on my to do list for about a month DONE // having my parents here for the weekend // being able to be with my sister Mim as she received her endowments // this fajita recipe // two-days of Spring weather // Lydia's six month dress that was way too big but SO CUTE I dressed her in it anyway // writing two blog posts (in addition to this one - to be posted this week!) // Lydia being old enough to entertain herself for 15-20 minutes on the playmat // my friend Taelor bringing us homemade doughnuts // this BYU parody of Inside Out (that Miriam showed us before it went viral ;))

I forgot to write down any funny quotes :( 

_ _ _

han.

Grabbing. Along with being able to put her hands in her mouth, Lydia has also gotten a lot better at grabbing and holding on to things. Her coordination is still lacking, but occasionally she will grab on to toys and she especially likes grabbing on to our fingers. She held on to her little giraffe-rattle for the first time the other day and brought it to her mouth!

Fighting the wrap. Up until now Lydia has LOVED being carried in the wrap. It was always a surefire way to calm her down and to help her fall asleep. Lately she doesn't seem to be loving the wrap as much, but is content if she can suck on the fabric which creates a rather-large slobber puddle (see photo above - no that's not a shadow...).

Chatting. Lydia is getting chattier-and-chattier by the day! At home if she's not sleeping you can almost guarantee that she's making noises of some kind. Whether it be humming, squawking, yelling, laughing, or crying she's got it down! Both Stephen and I love that she is so vocal. Lately she's been doing what we call "the monkey face." She puffs her cheeks out and then sticks her lips out and makes a humming sound. She did it for like 20 minutes during relief society last week and between that and a diaper blow-out I  have to admit I had a pretty hard time paying attention. haha!

Drooling. (No explanation needed ;))

Self-Admiring. Lydia loves looking at herself in the mirror. It's hilarious. Whenever I hold her in front of the mirror and she sees herself, she gets the biggest grin. At this point I 100% support her diva-like qualities. haha

Laughing. We love finding things that make Lydia laugh and when we are successful there is honestly no better feeling! Babies seriously have THE MOST SATISFYING laughs! Stephen discovered that when we sing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" and have her "jump" during the "-beam" part of the song (if you've ever been in Primary you know exactly what I'm talking about ;)) she thinks it's pretty hilarious. Unfortunately I haven't been able to catch this with my nice camera yet (she usually gets very serious when I get out the big camera - I think because it's so distracting) but we did get one on Stephen's phone the other day (below) and it doesn't matter how many times I've watched it - it just makes me so HAPPY.

We love our little Lydia Lynn!
_ _ _
han.

PS Since the photos in this post have Lydia alone, facing the camera, I decided to watermark them after reading THIS POST <-- which you should read if you have children and a blog and/or instagram.

cotton-snow // vanilla yogurt + pomegranate seeds and homemade granola // Lydia sleeping through the night IN HER CRIB, only waking up once to eat at 6:00 am, and then continuing to sleep until 10:00 // coming home to seeing Stephen reading the book "Are You My Mother" to Lydia on the couch // two photoshoots in one day // Lydia falling asleep to a womb noises track from youtube // watching parts of Rootstech online // catching up with a friend I haven't seen in 6 years! (additional blog post to follow) // vanilla bean cheesecake from the cheesecake factory // finding a bunch of new blogs to follow // driving by the snow walrus (above) and snow hippo (not pictured)

Isaac: "...the apartment has those appliances that are steal and they don't stain...what's that called again? Oh yeah, stainless steal."

_ _ _

han

PS I'm currently doing a photography giveaway on instagram! CHECK IT OUT HERE!

PPS It's been a year since I made THIS video with my students! Sure do miss those kiddos!

The day after Thanksgiving we had the opportunity to bless Lydia at Stephen's aunt and uncle's house. Although in the LDS church children are not baptized until the age of 8, it is customary to give them a blessing within the first few months they are born. Since my parents were already planning on coming to Utah for Thanksgiving and Stephen's parents were able to get a good deal on flights (and because they were dying to meet little Lydia for the first time) the timing worked out really well to do the blessing just two weeks after Lydia was born.

It was a beautiful blessing attended by loving family and friends, as well as Mom Olson's DELICIOUS chocolate chip cookies (seriously, of all the moms in the world that make chocolate chip cookies, hers are the best). Mom Olson also made THE MOST BEAUTIFUL blessing dress and brought it with her from Iowa. Before the blessing, Stephen expressed his love for Lydia and me, and I bawled like a baby.

In the blessing, Stephen blessed Lydia with health and strength, the ability to feel the love her parents have for her, and a sharp mind. He blessed her to be an example for her future siblings and also to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. The blessing was beautiful and perfect.

Many people have asked us if Lydia is a family name...it isn't, we just both really liked it! I've never personally known anyone with the name Lydia, but on a family roadtrip, when I was probably 10, we listened to a few of the books in The Work and The Glory series on tape, and one of the characters in the series is named Lydia. That was the first time I'd really ever payed attention to the name and I liked it. Then, many years later when I was studying abroad in Jerusalem, I read the verse in Acts 16 that mentions a woman named Lydia. Before that I hadn't realized that Lydia was a Bible name, and I again remembered how much I liked it. I also liked that Lydia of the Bible was a seller of purple and I had recently been convinced that my favorite color was actually purple (after years of thinking it was orange).

When Stephen and I got married, I started making a list of potential baby names on my phone and would write down names whenever one of us came across one that we liked. When we found out I was pregnant about two years later, the list had a dozen or so names on it, but the only one that we both REALLY loved was Lydia. (Stephen really liked it because he's big into nicknames and really liked the nickname Lyds.) As soon as we found out we were having a girl, we knew her name would be Lydia. 

Lydia shares her middle name, Lynn, with my mom, who is one of the most faithful and selfless people I've ever known. 

We love our little Lydia Lynn! We are grateful to everyone who made it to her blessing, and also to Uncle Paul and Aunt Camille for letting us have it at their house!

_ _ _

han.