My Brother

 So, I have a brother. His name is Chris. Although I rarely ever call him that. To me, his name is Pumpkin. In fact, some people don't even know his real name because I refer to him as Pumpkin. When we were kids, we were kinda close. We would climb rocks in our front yard, make up sword fight and dance routines, and lock each other in the garage for fun. But it wasn't until we moved to the United States that we really became close.

Moving to a new city or state is hard enough, but we moved to an entirely different country, and that really sucked. We left behind all our friends, and everything we knew. We were thrown into a school where everyone spoke a different language. Yes, it's still English, but Americans have their own kind of English that was different to us. So we learned to rely on each other, and he soon became my best friend. We would stay up many nights just talking about everything.
When Pumpkin joined us in Rexburg at BYU-I, we would have him over every Sunday night for dinner, and I loved it. Sometimes he would stay over, and we would just talk and talk. The best part about our relationship, is that we are EXTREMELY open with each other. I think ever family has their version of close, but for us, it's the fact that we talk about everything. Sure we don't talk on the phone everyday (especially since we moved to TN), and we hardly get to see each other...... but there isn't a topic or question that he could ask that would shock or surprise me.

When I say we talk about everything, I truly mean it. At first, Daniel would say 'I can't believe you just asked him that', or 'I can't believe he just said that', but he soon learned, that there is no holding back with us. And I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love my brother. He still is my best friend (besides Daniel), and I am so glad that our move to the USA brought us closer together.

He has now graduated from BYU-I, and moved to Arizona. He has been married to Alyssa for 2 years, and has a son named Hudson. I got to see him last year for a couple hours while we were in Utah and meet his new family (I was pregnant at the time), but besides that, I haven't really seen him in almost 4 years. Sooooo....... in just a few weeks, Daniel and I are making a stop in Arizona on our way to Washington to see my lil bro. I am beyond excited. Which is why I wrote this, because I am excited, and can't hold it in. So YEAH for me getting to see my lil Pumpkin!!!

Bed Time

These are some cute new jammies I found for Lyla. Every now and then I sort through her clothes to see what no longer fits, or what might fit her soon. I found these near the bottom of her jammie pile, and was very excited. It's weird that they have no feet, but I think they are waaaay cute!

Every night Daniel singing's Lyla a few songs before putting her down. Sometimes she's asleep right away, sometimes not, but either way it's just a few songs then bed. He does a pretty amazing job with this, and it gives them a little extra bonding time, since he is usually gone so much.

 My sweet little bug, all cozy and snug. (She still sleeps in her cradle, cuz we have no room for a crib, but that will soon change) Once she is down, it's prayers and bed time for me too. That's usually what our nights look like in the Creviston home!

Daniel's Birthday

My dear sweet husband turned 31 this week. WHAT??? Crazy. 

He took the day off work so we could spend it together, which was a big gift to me. The day started off with him sleeping in with Lyla. 

Then we spent the morning getting ready to go to the park, and just as we were getting ready to walk out the door, it started to rain...... so that wasn't very fun. But we still had fun playing at home, and Lyla got totally worn out.

 We had the traditional Chicken Taco's for dinner, and I made a German Chocolate cake (from scratch, thank you).

 We had some friends, Jay and Courtney come over for cake and games which was a lot of fun. Even though it was Daniel's birthday, I totally won an awesome round of Snarf! It was a good day.

Family Photos

Last weekend we had some family pics taken, and we just got to see them. They were awesome and we had so much fun doing them. There are a lot of pics, so I'll save you and only post the highlights of the day.

8 Months

My little girl is 8 months old today. She still amazes me every day. She is my biggest joy (sorry Daniel), and continually fills my heart with happiness.
~ She loves to laugh. When she gets tired, she gets really giggly and will laugh at anything you do. She is starting to get ticklish and I love it.
~ She anticipates what you are going to do. There are a few little games I play with her, and she will laugh knowing what's about to happen before I ever do it.
~ Loves food. She is such a good eater, and gobbles up anything I make for her.
~ She loves to be outside. We try to go on a walk everyday, sometimes twice a day, because she just loves being outside.
~ She gets upset when I leave the room, and gets really excited when I reappear. It's kinda cute.
~ She loves cuddles, which is good because so do I. She will rest her head on my shoulder if I'm holding her, and lean into my chest if she is on my lap.
~ She talks so much. Sometimes she gets really loud and you can't hear anything else.
~ Still no teeth!

 She has started this new thing where she tucks her hands under her chin. It's adorable.

 Loves playing with her toes

(Click on image to enlarge)

Aug 24th: 4lbs 15oz (birth)

Sept 10th: 6lbs 1oz (2wk)

Sept 24th: 7lbs 4oz (1mth)

Nov 1st: 9lbs 3oz (2mth)

Nov 21st: 9lbs 12oz (3mth)

Dec 27th: 11lbs 3oz (4mth)

Mar 5th: 13lbs 5oz (6mth)

Mar 25th: 14lbs 3oz (7mth)

April 25th: 14lbs 13oz (8mth)

Blueberries and more

So for those who read my blog, know that I make my own baby food for Lyla. It's waaay cheaper and much yummier (I sometimes steal a bite when feeding her, it's that good).

Lately we have been experimenting with new flavors and spices. For some tartness, I've been adding blueberries or cherries to her fruits. Then we have been spicing things up with garlic, ginger and curry in her veggies. She was already used to cinnamon and nutmeg, so I was sure she would love these additional new flavors. And she sure does. She just gobbles up everything I put in front of her. I am lucky to have a star eater!

No Questions

Every day I smother my daughter with kisses. I tell her multiple times how much I love her.
I hope that when she grows up, she will never question how much she is loved by me, her dad, and her Heavenly Father.

A Walk in the Park

 Lyla and I took a stroll around Shelby Farms today. It's one of my favorite places in Memphis, and makes living here a little easier. I love this place, and so does Lyla. And the weather was perfect!