Sister Rilee Belnap

After 7 years of trying to get pregnant, my parents adopted me as a newborn.  8 months later, my mom got very sick.  After going to the doctors, she found out she was pregnant, and when I was 17 months old, my little sister, Rilee, was born.  Although we were very close in age, we couldn't have been more different people.  In fact, we purposely chose interests that would make us basically polar opposites.  I loved dance, so she chose sports.  She loved Harry Potter books, so I refused to read them.  When we were little I had short hair, and she had long hair, and as we got older, I grew my hair out, and she kept hers bobbed.  I'm outgoing, and she is as shy and quiet as can be.  We are so different, but I love this girl.

This girl is always thinking of others.  She serves others without a second thought.  She gives everything to those she loves. She is so calming.  She is a wonderful listener.  She is funny and cheerful.  She is tender hearted and one of the sweetest people I have ever known.

Right after the new year she received her mission call to Kobe, Japan.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  Rilee has been studying Japanese all through college, and she has already fallen in love with everything culturally that she has come across.  When she opened her call, she burst into tears because the call was a complete dream come true for her. 

Yesterday she started that dream.  For 18 months, this great girl is going to be serving the people of Japan.  Before she entered the MTC we went out to lunch and she told me "I only have one goal today, and that's to make new friends."  I haven't heard from her yet, but I'm sure she did just that, and will continue to do so for the remainder of her mission.  I miss her, and I'm sad that I can't talk to her whenever I want to, but I am more excited for her than anything.  I know this is where she is supposed to be, and I know she will grow so much from this experience.  I am so looking forward to hearing from her and learning about her first few days, her companion, and how everything is going.

  This little girl will be just over two years old when her auntie comes home.

We'll be sure to send Rilee lots of pictures and updates, and we'll also show Sadie pictures of Rilee so hopefully she will know who she is when she comes home.

Here are all of the Belnap sisters.  

Rilee, Me, Emily, and Dawniel

I am so blessed to have so many sisters, I hope Sadie has a few sisters of her own someday.  

I love mine so much my heart could just burst.

Ready or not, here she goes.  This picture makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. She looks so timid and unsure that I want to just jump in there and protect her, but at the same time, I love that she is not looking back.  Even though she is scared, she is facing forward, ready to tackle her fears head on and get out there!  I admire her so much!

Quarter of a Century+Cutest Baby Ever

This post is very, very, very late, but about six weeks ago (I told you it was late), Logan turned 25.  He is such a great husband and daddy, so Sadie and I wanted to do a little unexpected something to surprise him. The day before his birthday, we snuck into Smith Drug (where he works) and bought 25 balloons.  Then we came home and blew them all up and hid them in our land lord's house.  After a long day of work and studying and playing with Sadie, Logan luckily fell asleep pretty early.  I was able to sneak the balloons into the bathroom without him knowing, and then I left him a little note on the mirror.  Totally cheesy, but it says "Congratulations you had enough common 'cents' to survive to your 25th birthday!  Happy birthday!  Love, Your Wife" and stuck 25 pennies to the mirror for him to find.  The next morning he was quite surprised to find not only the decorated mirror, but the shower full of balloons as well.  He had to work most of his birthday, but that week was spring break, so we made sure to get out and play together as much as possible. 

In other news....

Here are some darling pictures of the cutest baby ever.

 When our tub is not being filled with 25 balloons, it is usually being used to bathe this little beauty (and okay, fine, shower her not as darling parents).  She loves her baths, and she especially loves her little rubber duckie that Grandpa Mark and Grandma Angie (my birthdad and his wife) gave her.

 My friend Shannon made this darling little hair clip for Sadie Lady.  I love the little feathers on it!  Her daddy's nickname is "Bird," so these little feathers make her look like my "Little Bird."

 We are starting her on solids.  She hated them at the beginning mostly, and would fight me on them every time I would try and feed her.  This was what she looked like at the end of every feeding.  Lucky for her, after every meal she would get a bath (see above); lucky for me, she is getting more used to the idea of eating solids, and more of it is getting into her mouth.

And last but not least, we are busy brainwashing this little girl into thinking that tennis is the coolest sport ever.  We're hoping she takes after he daddy and has an amazing ability and love for the sport hidden in her little body.  College scholarships, anyone?  (We are fans of free education!!)

To My Sweet 7 Month Old Baby Girl

Munchkin,

This month you have been busy!!

For a few days you were super cranky, cried at the littlest things, and had the snottiest nose ever, and then last week you had two teeth pop through.  First the bottom left, then the bottom right.  You are always feeling them with your tongue, lips, fingers, and gums.  You love to say the sound "Bah!" because I think you can feel your teeth when you do.  You have been extra drooley since the teeth came through, but now you are as happy as can be again.  It's exciting, strange, and a little sad to see little teeth in your mouth when you smile at me.  It's so fun to see you growing up, but everything is going by so quickly that I find myself clinging on to everything I can, trying to hold onto my little baby, because before I know it, you will be a toddler.

You figured out crawling this month, and my goodness you keep me running after you.  You have a mischievous streak that is coming through now that you can move yourself around.  When I take showers in the morning, if you are awake I will pull you out of your crib and surround you with toys to play with while I'm gone.  Last week while I was in the shower I could hear you babbling to yourself, but then you got really quiet.  I was almost done with my shower when I heard you again, but you sounded a lot closer.  You had crawled out of your room, down the hall, and then sat in the doorway of the bathroom.  You babbled into the room as if to ask "Hey, Mom!  Are you in this room?"  I peeked out of the shower and said hi to you, and you just crawled across the room to the tub like it was no big deal.  That day you really did just wake up and decide "I'm sick of just sitting here, I will crawl today."

Now that you are crawling, nothing is safe.  You are moving faster and faster every time you try to crawl, and you want to explore and put everything in your mouth.  You love to crawl around my feet as I am cooking dinner in the kitchen, and you remind me of a little puppy. You also are starting to pull yourself up onto things, which means I'm sure you'll be bonking your head a lot more this month (you gotta learn somehow, I suppose, but I wish I could protect you from everything).

You are learning that things exist even if you can't see them.  You love playing peek a boo with me, it always makes you laugh.  You also love to drop things off of the edge of the couch or bed and then lean over to try and find it again, when you do see it, you get so excited and kick your legs and do this "excited face" where you scrunch up your nose, pucker your lips out, and breath really fast (it's adorable).  You don't understand that you could fall off and hurt yourself, though, so we have to watch you closely.

We are finally diligently starting you on solids now.  You hated them at first, but after a week of "practice" you are now opening your mouth to take a few bites before you start clenching your little gums together.  You really liked peas, you LOVED bananas, you hated the chicken puree we gave you last night (but honestly, it seems funky to me anyway), carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes are okay in your opinion, maybe you will like them more as you eat them more.  You would much rather have smaller chunks of food we are eating, so I will often give you tiny pieces of bread, or squish up some veggies we are having for dinner that night, and you love that.

You are such a happy baby, and I love being your mommy.  I am so blessed to be able to hang out with you all day every day.  Daddy just finished school this week, so he will have a lot more time this summer to play with you, and he is so excited!  This summer will be our funnest summer yet!

Until next month,
Love,
Mommy

To My Sweet 6 Month Old Baby Girl

Smiley Sadie,

This month you are go-go-go.

One morning you woke up and you decided "I think I'll sit up today," and then you were just sitting.  You are pretty darn steady too, you've hardly ever fallen over, and even when you do you have never cried.  Your favorite thing to do is to sit in front of a pile of toys and pick each one up, cover it with slobbers, and then put it down.  You look like such a big girl sitting up, I had a few moments where I panicked that you are growing up too fast.  I have to keep reminding myself that you are getting more and more fun the older you get, and that it is okay, great even, that you are learning new "big girl" things.

You love to be on your hands and knees now.  You do something we call "rocky-rocky" where you rock back and forth from your head to your bum.  I laugh at this because I spent a lot of time at college studying the fundamentals of movement, and how babies all start moving, and you are taking the exact steps in movement I learned, and you are fantastic at them.  It is so cute because I think you can even understand me, because you will be on your hands and knees just looking at me and I'll say "Hey Sweetie, could you show me your rocky-rocky?" and you just take off, rocking away, only to stop and look up at me and smile as if to say "Hey Mom, look, I'm doing it!"  You also love to get your feet up underneath you and do something that looks a lot like the yoga pose "downward dog."  You can get up and down from that, but you can't figure out how to move your arms too.  I can tell that you are so incredibly close to crawling.  I'm waiting for that morning that you just wake up and decide to do it, and then there will be no stopping you, you will be crawling everywhere.

You are a determined little girl.  If you want something, you will figure out a way to get it.  If it is a toy just out of reach, you will scooch, roll, and reach your way over there to get it, and you are so proud of yourself when you accomplish your goal.  Hang on to that quality, sweet girl.  Set good goals, and don't be afraid to work for them.

You have become extra wiggly this month.  You usually think it's pretty annoying to be held in my lap anymore, but you love to be sitting next to me.  If I try to hold you, you will just squirm and twist around until I put you down.  However, you hate being by yourself.  If you can see me in the same room as you, you are fine, but if you see me walk away from you, you panic and start to fuss.

Braxton is your favorite cousin right now.  He can make you laugh better than anyone in the family, including your daddy or me.  You think he is absolutely hilarious, and he loves that you give him so much attention.  You usually see him a few times a week, and I love watching him play with you.

We have been working on baby signs with you for a few months, and this morning you may or may not have showed me your first sign back.  You were laying on my bed and I looked at you and you reached out your hand and squeezed it shut like the sign for "milk."  When I asked if you wanted milk, doing the sign back, you got very excited.  I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but I like to think that maybe you are picking it up and beginning to understand.

A funny little trait you have picked up this month is you are always sticking your little tongue out, especially if you are concentrating on something, just like your daddy.  I think you are so dang cute like this, and can't get enough of watching you do it.  You also love to pat your hands on things...your knee, the floor, your toys, me, whatever is near you.  It's like you're saying "Hey, I like this thing right here."

You love your baths so much! You could lay and sit in the water for an hour and be happy to just splash around.  We should probably get you some bath toys, huh?  You love getting me wet with your splashes.  You will kick the water and splash me in the face and then laugh and laugh.

You are keeping me on my toes, little one.  I can't believe I ever survived without you in my life.  You are the best thing that has ever happened to our family, and I am so glad I get to be your mommy.  Thanks for choosing us for your family!
I love you,
Mommy

To My Sweet 5 Month Old Baby Girl

Sweet Girl,

This month was a month of lots of fun with you. Some of my favorite highlights of this month have been:

• Taking you on your first road trip to Flaming Gorge.  You loved Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Flinders so much.  You loved sitting on their laps and talking to them.  They are almost completely deaf, so I'm not sure if they heard you, but they loved singing you songs and talking to you and just enjoying your sweet company.
• Watching you became a professional roller.  I used to leave you on the bed to do quick things, like take a shower, or load the dishwasher, or switch over a load of laundry.  You used to only roll once, and then stop, but after I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth and came back to find you right on the edge of the bed, we had to stop doing that.  
• You sat in your first high chair at "Dairy Keen" in Heber.  You are so tiny that we had to shove a sweatshirt behind you to keep you from slipping all over the place, but you thought you were pretty dang cool sitting up with all the adults.
• You love to hang upside down and look around the room. You will lean back in our laps until you are looking upside down and then laugh and laugh.
• You also are starting to recognize when Daddy is coming in from school.  You hear the front door open and close and then start looking around, kicking your legs with excitement, for Daddy.  You love him so much, and I love watching you two together.
• You LOVE blowing spit bubbles.  You are constantly a drooly, wet mess because of your constant bubble blowing.  
• You have also discovered your voice this month.  While you are sitting in your bouncer in the kitchen while I cook dinner, you will chatter away at me the entire time.  I can't stop laughing at you, and you think it's pretty great to be getting attention, so you keep talking my ear off.
• You love to be naked, so every morning I will take off your jammies and change your diaper, but then I will bring you into our room and let you lay on our bed and wiggle around for a few minutes before getting you dressed.  You are all smiles during your morning "nakey time" and I love giggling at you.

You are such a content baby, and I love being your mommy.  It takes a lot for you to cry, and you are usually all smiles and giggles while you are awake.  I love you so much I can hardly stand it!

Love,

Mommy

4 Generations in Flaming Gorge

My mommy's parents live in a cabin up in Flaming Gorge.  I have always loved going up to visit them.  They are seriously the cutest old people ON THE PLANET.  I have a thing for old people, I think they are adorable, and my grandparents top that list with golden stars.

My mom found these picture frames that said "Four Generations" on them and after she bought a couple, she became antsy to visit her parents with Sadie and me to get the picture to put in them.

 Four Generations

My grandma is the youngest of 9 or 10 kids, and her mom was almost 50 (yes, you read that right) when she gave birth to her.  Her oldest siblings were easily old enough to be her parents, and I'm pretty sure she never even met her grandparents.  If I remember correctly, her grandpa crossed the plains, as in with the pioneers. My grandma's grandpa knew Joseph Smith.  That is just wild to me!  My grandma was telling us these stories and kept saying the only 4 generation picture she would ever be able to hope for was one in heaven, but she isn't so sure if there are cameras there to take the picture for her!

My grandparents seriously loved Sadie Lady to bits and pieces.  They just wanted to hold her and squish her and talk to her and watch her play.  I am in love with this picture of my sweet old grandpa holding my sweet little girl, just having a little chat.  I have been blessed with amazingly kind and loving grandparents, and I am so glad they were able to meet the most precious thing I have ever had in my life, my wonderful daughter.

We had a great weekend full of stories of my grandparents' past, crafting, cooking, and just visiting.  I love being in their home, and can't wait to get up there to visit them again as soon as Logan is out of school for the summer.

Adalyn Comes Down from Heaven

Well the triplet cousins are all here now!  

January 27th Brynn and Casey had their third baby, but their first girl, Adalyn. She has so much hair she looks like she is wearing a wig.

She squeaks like a little bicycle horn when she cries.

She is teeny tiny and very sweet.

She makes my baby look like a giant.

 Here is their first picture together, all three of them looking a little doofy.

Probably this picture will be on their wedding slide show.  I just love these girls.

I seriously get all giddy and silly inside when I think about these cousins all being so close in age.  I am not really close with any of my cousins, and was always jealous growing up when people at school would talk about how their cousins were their best friends.  These girls are so dang lucky!!  I am hoping they will all be the best of friends.  I'm hoping I have a house full of girl cousins in the future, all painting their nails, or giggling about boys at school, or having sleep overs, or getting ready for school dances together.  And honestly, how sweet of a deal would that be...we mommies would all know and trust our daughters' best friends' families, because hey, they are our family too.

I love my family so dang much!!  

Logan and I are so blessed!!  Sadie is so blessed!! Our other future babies are so blessed too!!