Spring Break and 12 month Check Up

"Miss March"

Matti's Aunt Ashley and Uncle Pat gave her this precious Miss March outfit for her birthday. So Cute!

Mattilee "talks" pretty much all the time so when she is quiet it almost always means she is into something. This is how I found her after a minute or so of not hearing anything from her.

Mattilee with her KitKat

Her birthday present finally came in. She loves her new bean bag. :)

The house we stayed in the mountains. We had so much room which was so nice for our growing families!

Fun with Daddy

Feeding the ducks with their daddies. Matti ate the bread instead of throwing it to the ducks:)

Happy Girl:)

Having fun with Gigi!

Mattilee and Addie Brown

I've been a horrible blogger. I can't believe I haven't blogged about our Spring Break trip by now. My parents took our family to the mountains for Spring Break. We had such a great, relaxing time. I love spending time with my family and it was nice to spend a few days with them.

At Mattilee's 1 year check up she was 29 3/4 inches long and weighed 18lb 15 oz. She is now 13 months and 2 weeks and weighs a little over 20 lbs and has gotten taller too. She's growing so fast! We have a sofa table that she loves to pull up to and stand under. It seems like just a month ago she fit underneath with at least an inch of clearance, now she barely fits underneath.

Matt and I are constantly amazed at everything she's learning.

-She can now say Momma, Dada, Pop (bop), Bobo (Matt's dad), ball, bird, baby

-She roars like a lion when we ask her what a lion says (it's the sweetest little gentle roar:)

-She recognizes so many different people by their names.

-She can also recognize and point to so many different things: lots of animals, toys, different foods, and we're starting to learn colors.

- She can do the movements to songs like If You're Happy and You Know It and Patty Cake

-She signs "please" and "all done" and we're working on "thank you." It's neat that even though she can't say these words yet, she knows their meanings and how to use them. Everything she sees that she wants now she signs "please." It's so sweet!

- And she started walking last night!!!!! She's been taking a few steps here and there but has been so hesitant to really let go. Last night at Matt's parent's house she walked several times in between Matt's mom and me. We would all clap and cheer for her and then she started taking a step or two and clapping for herself! So cute!!! I hope to post a video of her walking soon.

Happy 1st Birthday Mattilee

Mattilee had a butterfly birthday party! I know this picture is blurry, but I loved her invitations and wanted to remember them.

I made her birthday outfit. I felt kinda silly making her an outfit to wear one time but I was reminded that most birthday outfits run for $30 or so; that made the $4.39 I spent on fabric seem pretty reasonable :)

My big one year old!!!

I was so pleased with her cake! I thought they did a great job decorating it and it was yummy! Delicious Bakery in Alabaster made it. I'd highly recommend them.

Her smash cake!

Butterfly Birthday Decorations:)

A "timeline" of her year. It was so neat to see how she changed from month to month.

Butterflies everywhere!

A sweet friend gave me this Special Birthday Knife to use to cut her cake at every birthday and then she will also use it to cut the cake at her wedding. It came with a sweet little poem. Such a thoughtful gift!

Digging in!

Yum!

Mattilee and cousin Addie Brown. I wish I had gotten better pictures of Mattilee and the sweet kiddos at the party.

Matti, Addie, and Jackson in the tunnel! They had so much fun with this gift from Kit Kat.

Matti laughing at Jackson following her through the tunnel.

This is the only picture I have in her birthday hat. I forgot to put it on her while she ate her cake.

I officially have a one year old. It just doesn't seem right! Where did this last year go?? This week I came to the realization that her precious life is never going to slow down. In fact, it might seem like it's flying by even faster when we become busy with little brothers and/or sisters and with extra- curricular activities, etc. So I just have to continue to enjoy every minute I'm given with this little angel and get as much as I can on video. :) This past year has definitely been a major highlight in the slide show of our lives. We've changed. She's changed us. The Lord has changed us through our precious angel. Since we found out we were expecting a year and about 8 months ago, we've prayed that the Lord would mold us into the parents He wants us to be. We're not there yet; He's still molding of course, and will be throughout her life. But I've fallen more in love with my husband by watching his heart just overflow with love for our daughter. I've also come to admire and respect him even more as my helpmate and our provider; he works so hard and he never complains. His selfless, serving heart is constantly encouraging me to consider other's needs above my own. We've grown as individuals and as a couple by sharing in this precious journey together. I'm excited to see the Lord continue to work in our lives through this sweet experience.

As we've been celebrating over our little angel's life I can't help but think of how much more the Lord rejoices and celebrates over us. After all, He is love. He's the giver of all sweet gifts including children and the ability to love. So when I look at my child and think my heart will just explode with love, how much more is His love abounding for me and all His children?!?While spending the last week celebrating Matti and the year we've been given with her, this verse keeps running over and over in my mind:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

The Countdown is On....Matti is almost 1!!

Standing!!! My new favorite thing!

Matt and I went to Orlando this month for a conference with his work. We went a couple of days early and got to play around in Disney World. It was so much fun to be "kids" again for a little while. This pic is from dinner one night with great friends.

Her first ride around the neighborhood in her radio flyer. She loved it but held on the entire time!

Look at her hands glued to the sides. :)

Here is a sneak-peek of her birthday! This is the picture I put on her birthday invitations. We are doing a butterfly theme. :) Isn't this a beautiful butterfly??

My precious baby girl will be one year old in just a few days!!! I really can't believe it. This year has absolutely flown by! It's a little bitter-sweet. A part of me is a little sad that she isn't an infant anymore and is almost a toddler, but I'm also having so much fun watching her grow, change, explore, and learn new things everyday it makes me excited about the days ahead. I wanted to get one last post in before the big birthday because she's learned so much lately and I wanted to document everything before I forget all she's learned to do.

Matti can now.....

*pull herself to a standing position. She loves it and spends most of the day just standing! I think she probably thinks she's big stuff. :)

*She'll go get almost anything I tell her (ball, bear, baby doll, book, socks, etc). She can also go "get Daddy (or Mommy)." If I whisper "Matti go get Daddy" She gives me this sneaky little grin and takes off crawling to whatever room he may be in and laughs hysterically when she sees him.

*She can give kisses and hugs when we ask her for them. Her hugs with those sweet little arms wrapped around my neck is one of the best feelings in the world. If you make a big deal out of her kiss and act like it was the best thing ever, she'll lean in to give you another one. :)

*She'll say "hey" when she sees someone and she waves bye bye. Her wave is opening and closing her little hand toward herself- so cute!

* She's loved to play peek-a-boo for months now, but she's recently started initiating it by peeking around furniture or putting a blanket over her own head.

*She can roll a ball to us and when we say "are you ready" she puts her arms out to catch it.

* She can identify so many things: animals, parts of the face, clothing, etc. It's amazing how much she's absorbing and learning.

*She's also learned to "show her displeasure" as my mother says. It mostly happens when it's time to change clothes... baby girl likes to be naked.:) This isn't my favorite new thing but she's so sweet and so much fun 99% of the time that I really can't complain.

We are having her 1st birthday party at our house this weekend. We decided to just invite family. Both of our families are pretty big with lots of little ones. Plus, I knew if I invited friends it would be so many people and I'd be running around making sure everyone had been introduced, was comfortable and having a good time and I wouldn't be as focused on enjoying and celebrating my precious Mattilee.

Sweet Things

I just couldn't help myself. :)

Some sweet things I really LOVE about Mattilee that I don't want to forget:

*I love to catch her "loving" her stuffed animals. We taught her to do this a while back but it's so precious to see her hugging and rocking her animals and dolls without being prompted.
*I love that when I carry her she always holds me too. She wraps her little arm around my arm and holds it.
*Her soft skin. I knew her skin would be soft but it's really like silk and I just can't touch it enough.
*When I put her to bed at night and walk into her dark room, she touches my face with both of her little hands and brings her face right in front of mine like she's trying so hard to see me.
*How she will lay on me with her head on my chest or shoulder. She'll do it when we're sitting down, rocking, or on the way to her bed. I know I'll miss this when she's too big.
*How her face lights up every time she sees me. I KNOW this won't last forever.
*How she claps and bounces every time she hears music. So cute!:)
*While she crawls she kind of sways from side to side.
* How she has her own precious little language and she "talks" ALL the time, we just have no idea what she's saying. She'll talk for so long it seems like a paragraph and sometimes she "sings" to herself. :)
*Her little laugh! It's the sweetest sound in the world and how easy it is to make her laugh.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Getting ready to play in the snow!

Checking out the snow with Daddy.

Big girl having a snack.

Over the Christmas break all of our men went hunting so we had a spend the night party at Gigi's.

Trying out my new Radio Flyer wagon that Gigi and Pop gave me for Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Cousin Claire Kate and Matti in their Christmas shirts Holly made them. These girls are going to have so much fun together. :)

Getting ready to open some presents.

It's really hard for me to believe that Christmas has come and gone. This past year just flew by so fast! We had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Lord with family and friends. I've always loved Christmas but this year it was extra special with Mattilee here to celebrate with us. Both sides of our family got to spend a lot of time with her and she was such a good sport of being passed all around. This Christmas is also the first White Christmas I've ever experienced. Well it wasn't really "white" but it did snow on Christmas and the day after Christmas and although the ground wasn't covered with it, it was really pretty to watch falling from the sky.

Along with tons of sweet gifts from family, Mattilee also got 4 new teeth up top. They're already changing her look a little. That little smile with those new teeth showing through is so precious. Matti also started crawling 4 or 5 days before Christmas. I love to watch her crawl and explore and how excited and fun she seems to think this new found independence is.

We had to go back to the doctor again shortly after Christmas because she was running a fever again. No ear infections and no urinary tract infection so the doctor thought that it was just another fever virus. This one lasted longer than the last and when the fever was gone she develped a rash all over. For several days all Mattilee wanted to do is lay on her mommy. I was happy to cuddle with her and love on her all day but I'm so glad she's feeling better. It's so sad when they don't feel well and they can't tell you what's wrong.

It's the Holiday Season

Christmas pictures at 8 months old

The four grand kids (soon to be 5) with Bobo and KitKat.

The whole Hope clan

Happy Thanksgiving!!

It's been a while since my last post. We've been so busy getting ready for Christmas, I haven't taken the time to update. In addition to keeping friends and family up-to-date on our sweet baby girl, I also use the blog to help me keep track of milestones and other fun things I'll want to look back on so I decided I had to update before I forgot last month's events.

Thanksgiving was such a special time. Our family has so much to be thankful for. We've been so blessed. I'm continually amazed and reminded of how good the Lord is to us. We spent the night before Thanksgiving with my parents so that they could spend some extra time with Mattilee. We live an hour away and although it isn't that far, I'd love to live closer so that they could see her more often. We went to my Granny Hicks' house for lunch on Thanksgiving. I can't remember if I've already mentioned this in an earlier post but Mattilee is her 20th great-grandchild! So needless to say our gatherings are always full of energy, laughter, and fun. It's always great to catch up with my sweet Granny, cousins, aunts, and uncles that I don't get to see as often as I'd like.

We left the Hicks' Thanksgiving lunch and headed to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with the Hopes. We met at a park to take pictures for Bobo and KitKat's Christmas card before retiring to their house for dinner. Robert, Matt's oldest brother, took the pictures and got some great shots. A couple of weekends before, he had also taken pictures for our Christmas card. He does a really great job. He got the best shots of Mattilee that I know I'll always cherish. It's so great to have someone in the family who can take really good pictures.

My twin brother Pat and his new wife Ashley got married on November 20 so they were honeymooning in Costa Rica during Thanksgiving. I missed getting to spend the holiday with them but I'm so extremely happy for them. I wish I had some pictures to post from their wedding but I didn't take any. :( I can't believe I went the entire day without taking any pics of the beautiful bride.

On November 21, Matti woke up with a really high fever. We had to take her to the doctor for the first time aside from her checkups. The doc originally thought she had a urinary tract infection, but the culture came back negative. Because it was negative but she seemed to have other symptoms that fit a UTI, our doctor had us schedule and ultrasound of her kidneys to make sure she didn't have any cysts. The ultrasound was perfectly normal so we were very relieved. We still aren't certain what caused her high fever but the doctor said they are seeing a lot of fever viruses so that could've been it. We are just very relieved that she's all better.

On December 7 Matti had her 9 month checkup. She weighed 17lb 11.5oz and was 28 1/2 inches. Doc said she is now in about the 25 percentile for weight and the 90% for height. He always says she's going to be tall and skinny. I've been amazed the past few times we've gone to the doctor to find that shes in the lower % for weight. She's got the sweetest chubby legs and tummy but I guess compared to a lot 9 month olds isn't so chubby after all. I don't even offer her baby food anymore because since she tasted table food she really wouldn't have anything else to do with the baby food and I can't say I blame her. She LOVES looking at the Christmas tree and she'd really love to get a hold of it. She can "army crawl" but she still can't quite figure out how to crawl on her knees. Her legs slide out from under her or she ends up going backwards. It's so cute to watch. I have to admit, I'm not really pushing her to crawl. I love my stationary baby and I know once she starts moving she's going be mobile for the rest of her life. Plus, it'd be great to have the Christmas tree put away before she really takes off. She is so much fun right now, I know that I probably say that in every post but she really is. She does something new and fun everyday! I went to get her up from a nap last week and she was standing up in her crib! That afternoon when Matt got home from work he lowered her crib to it's lowest position. She's also figured out how to get into a sitting position from a laying position. This is her new favorite thing; she's so proud of herself. She'll use her little arms and sometimes her head to help maneuver herself up and then she looks at us with a big grin to make sure we saw her. She's also recently started mimicking sounds of animals that we make with her. She likes to moo like a cow the best. :)

Butterfly Kisses

Mattilee was a butterfly for Halloween! We went to my parent's house for lunch on Halloween and we got to spend sweet time with my family. My brother's little girl Addie Brown was Tinkerbell. We had a lot of fun dressing our baby girls up and taking pictures. That night Matt and I helped with our church's fall festival. Well, Matt helped, Matti and I played and socialized.

My sweet butterfly

Sweet Addie Brown smiling for the camera and Matti playing with a leaf. Matti wasn't really interested in taking pictures, only playing with and trying to eat the leaves.

My mom told Matti that it looked like she had had a little too much nectar.:)

I don't blame you, Addie Brown! They're hard to resist.:)

Sweetest butterfly and the best daddy at the fall festival.

At the end of the night our butterfly was so tired but still so sweet.