Just Push Pause...

I wish life had a pause button...like my DVR. I wish I could freeze time, if only for just a short while. There are so many moments lately that I just want to soak up and I feel like life just goes to quickly, moves at a pace I don't want to move at. 2010 was full of those moments. I wanted to freeze my infant...snuggle and cuddle her longer. I wanted to freeze my grandma...listen to more stories and rest my head on her shoulder. I wanted to freeze my summer...long days with my girl, soaking up the sun and basking in her company. Now, in 2011, I want to freeze my toddler. She cracks me up and has such love for us. Each night our routine is exactly the same. Jani grabs her blankie, heads to the steps, and lets us know it's bedtime. We read her favorite books in the same order, over and over. Blankie, paci, Rascal Flatts lullabies, prayers, snuggles, bed. It's so predictable and I love it. I especially love the nights where she lets me hug her a little longer. I love that we sleep trained her and she wants to just get in bed and go to sleep but I also love when I get to just hug her, if only for a few extra minutes. Tonight was one of those nights and I stood there thinking that she will never be this size again...ever. Now is the only time I will have her as a toddler. This little person she has become will become just a memory all too soon. I'm working on soaking her up.

Each and every moment....

Year in Review

14 Months!!!

Let me preface this...if you are a reader, a faithful one, I'm sure you noticed that there was no 13 month post. Big mommy fail. I totally forgot we had the stickers. Between Thanksgiving, school, and watching J grow, I spaced it off. For my own purposes I will photoshop a sticker on to use in her photo book but month 13 is going to just roll right into 14.

Jani is our light...our joy...our entertainment every single day. She is such an awesome combination of the two of us. She laughs until she cries and has such a tender heart. It's amazing that she is actually understanding what we're saying. She has a great imagination! She's loves to make soup in her kitchen and then feeds it to us and laughs. Hours of entertainment! She no longer walks...she runs. She loves to eat. I swear she can eat more than us. She had to go on antibiotics for the first time this month. Sad day for me :( Doug will be the first to say I'm not much of a medicine person. But apparently she had an ear infection. Jani will be visiting our chiropractor more regularly to hopefully prevent this in the future. She loves her puzzles, her baby, and bath time. I wish I could freeze time right now. I never want to forget Jani like this. Watching her learn is so fulfilling. Some day, when she's 16 and giving me grief, I want to remember her like this. Remember her kisses and hugs, her giggles and smiles.

Our photoshoot this month was nothing spectacular. We just wanted to get them down. The second half of Christmas break has been refreshing. We've recharged our batteries...preparing for the stretch to Spring Break. It's been nothing short of amazing :)

Pictures...

This last month has been full of Jani's personality. She is seriously taking on many of our quirks and qualities. She is a comedian throughout most of the day. If something is going wrong, Jani takes it upon herself to make us smile. She wakes up talking and smiling and goes to bed the same way. I wish I knew what she was talking about all day long! Here's a glimpse into what makes our girl tick :)

First Birthday Party

This is long overdue. Jani has been 1 for well over a month...I'm not entirely sure what I've been doing the whole month! Jani's birthday was perfect. We had so much fun with her. Doug and I have been pretty anal about not giving her sweets so allowing her to have cake for the first time was the highlight! She devoured it as quickly as only my child could. Girl after my own heart. We even went all out and got her the good stuff from Scratch. She actually had a few parties. We celebrated at a UNI tailgate with our friends the week before her actual birthday. It turned out to be a beautiful day and combined all of Jani's favorite things...family, friends, and football, of course!

Bad Blogger

I have been horrible at updating. We have been insanely busy the last month and the last thing on my mind has been blogging. I'm too busy chasing a one year old. Yes, I said ONE YEAR OLD! It's weird to say that. She is a walking, talking, happy little girl and we are enjoying every second of it. I'm trying to soak up these moments because my baby is no longer a baby ::tear::. I've got about 4 posts started that I must finish. Her birthday party, Thanksgiving, more football...you know. For now, I leave you with a picture...

Have I mentioned how much I absolutely adore Christmas???