stinky pits

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my middle name is "Billy" goat

at the top of the mountain. we made it!!
this is about half way up the climb.
jill was exhausted after the hike.

on saturday, i wanted to enjoy the weather and increase my appreciation of arizona landscape. i made jeff go on a hike with me. we went to the san tan mountains. there was a 6 mile hike around one of the littler mountains that i thought we could enjoy with jill. oh, no jeff saw a much bigger and better mountain behind us. unfortunately, this mountain had no trail. so. . . we bushwhacked our way to the top. nearing the peak i was surprised that we continued going. it seemed like each step was causing a rock slide, and i was bear crawling up. once we reached the peak, as i looked down i thought "how are we going to get from here to there without dying or sliding down face first". at the top, the horizon was beautiful and we got to see the start of the sunset. i told jeff that the hike was exhilarating. he said, "hike?! that was a mountain climb".

we're in it for the long haul. . .

the doctor said between 5-51/2 months to introduce "the spoon". today she's 5 months old! (she's nippin' at your heels carrie). we thought we'd try out some rice cereal tonight. funny thing is she was more interested in "the spoon" and the bowl (btw: thanks valerie!!) than the food. it was so fun to watch her facial expressions as she tasted it. it went better than expected though.
here she is looking at "the spoon". very intent.
after eating we had some play time. any funny stories, or more importantly, advice for me as we start this new step? remember she's been all breast milk until today.

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Chloe Sue!

here she is. . . jill has a new cousin!! Chloe was born yesterday morning. she is so sweet and tiny (6 lbs.), it makes jill look huge. Sarah (jeff's older sister) is feeling good and looks great!!! jill loves all of her cousins and is exited to not be the smallest one any more. she has a few things she can teach Chloe (such as, drooling, squeeling and lots of smiling). we love Chloe!!
jill was jealous that Chloe was getting all the attention. jill wanted to be like Chloe and get swaddled, held and have the "soothie" pacifier. what a baby! :)

big sit in the right direction

Look who's been sitting-up by herself all day long.

"the best toy ever"

jills still interested in the camera. what a sweet face.
new habits: finger sucking (couple weeks old), bottom lip sucking, jumping, talking during church, wanting to control her pacifier (this only makes it worse b/c she can't get it back in right), splashing during the bath.
any bets on her hair color? those eyebrows are looking more red. . . can't wait to see.

i over heard jeff talking to one of his single friends yesterday. his friend must have asked how being a parent is, or how jill was doing. this is the response, "She's great. Honestly, it's like having the best toy ever. I just want to play with her all day". i had to laugh out loud. i feel the same way. it's still hard for me to stop watching her every move. she's so entertaining. needless to say, the only time i get anything done is when she's sleeping. this is only if i've put her in her room and shut the door. if she's sleeping outside her room, i have a tendency to watch her then too, yes even sleeping.

which brings me to an announcement. . . jill has officially moved into her room. all sleeping (execpt an occasional morning nap with mom) is done in the big crib. up until this week she's been sleeping in the bassinet next to my bed at night. many factors have brought us to this point. 1. i'm borrowing the bassinet from Hayley. well, Hayley's pregnant and will need it soon. 2. Jill is just about too long for it. 3. jills been sleeping through the night since she was 6 wks old. therefore i really could've put her in her room long ago. i just loved having her so close, i wouldn't move her. 4. jill 'stirs' in her sleep. she's does this around 12:00, 4:00, and 5:00. finally to wake-up at 6:00. i was getting up with each 'stir'.

the first few nights i really missed having her in my room. i just love having my sweet baby close to me. i have since realized how nice it is not to have to wisper when i enter my room etc. we have reclaimed the territory!

our ward just got split. we had aprrox 800 members. nuts huh? of-course not all of those were active, but we needed to down size. there where two elders quorums and over 150 actuve primary children, 4- 5 nursery classes etc. you can imagine the chaos primary was. i was called as the 2nd counslor in jan. i love the primary. after the split, i was worried i was going to be released. i got my same calling and am enjoying the smaller sizes. last sunday in senior primary i couldn't help but tear-up while the children sang "I'm trying to be like Jesus". it was so powerful!! i haven't felt the spirit so strongly in a church meeting, let alone primary. i have three sister-in-laws that are primary choiresters now. i can't tell you how important you are!!! music truely invites the spirit. i love serving in the primary. in-fact, i think i'd been happy here for the rest of my life. i love those kids.

jeff got called as the ward mission leader. he is so excited. missionary work is something that jeff has always been passionate about. i can't wait to see jeff grow and work in this capacity. i know it's a few years away, but i'm excited to serve a mission with him. he is a great missionary.