Changes

My wonderful husband sent me these flowers because, as many of you have heard, I am changing jobs. This Monday I start training with a company that will allow me to continue to work in my chosen field, but with a more flexible schedule. I get to train at the office for a few months, and then I'll have the opportunity to do most of my work from home. I am so incredibley excited about this change, even though I know it comes with it's own set of challenges. I feel like it is a huge answer to our prayers.

This weekend also brought a welcome change in the weather. Our lawn was covered in three inches of snow last week, but it warmed up nicely on Saturday and allowed us to spend the day in the backyard. Tate and Tori loved having rides in the wagon, playing baseball, and just being able to run around. Tori also rediscovered her distaste for grass. You can see in the last picture that her sock fell off and she refused to put her bare foot on the ground. She just sat there crying with her foot held in the air. I thought it was hilarious.

Happy Easter

The traditional dying of the eggs. (I know you are all jealous of the quality of my photos. Ha, ha.) It was hilarious this year because Tate just sat staring at the submerged eggs repeating, "They're dying. They're dying."

Tori kept herself entertained while we colored the eggs.

Tate looks like he is still mourning the death of the eggs in this one.

Of course the Easter Bunny came. And I am so sad that I won't be able to say, "You'd better stop that or the Easter Bunny won't come" for a whole year.

Tate finally got into the whole "egg-hunt idea" when he figured out that there were more than two eggs hidden in the living room. He was so sweet as he shared some his findings with Tori and filled her basket up, too.

Tori was mostly into shaking the eggs.

And dumping out her basket.

It was a fun weekend and we enjoyed having family around to celebrate Easter with us. We are so thankful to have a knowledge of Jesus Christ and his atonement and resurrection. It is what makes our lives so meaningful.

One Year Stats

Tori Kathleen Handley

Age: 1 year

Weight: 18 lb 13 oz (20th percentile)

Height: 28 1/8 in (30th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 in (60th percentile)

This girl is growing up more and more every day. She can free stand for minutes at a time, is cruising all around the house, and is so, so close to walking. She just has to decide that it's her idea. She only has two teeth, but is working hard on getting a few more. She has said bye-bye to her bottle and formula, and is now using a sippy-cup (and occasionally a regular cup) to drink cows milk. Tori loves to eat anything she can feed herself. She is very independent and loves to explore and get into EVERYTHING! If there is something she can't get into on her own, she will point to whatever it is she wants and squeal. I can't believe my sweet baby is almost gone, but I just love the spunky little toddler she is turning into.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Tori Girl!

Tori turned one year old on March 13th! I know, I can't believe it either. We had a fun, little birthday bash with grandpas and grandmas and aunts and uncles. Thanks to everybody who came to celebrate with us!

Tori with her Aunt Andrea

The cake. Before.

And the cake after.

Notice how clean Tori's face is. She licked a bit of frosting off her finger, but was otherwise uninterested in eating. She did have a good time mushing and smashing, however.

Tori, opening her presents . . . Let me rephrase that: Tate, opening Tori's presents.

Opa and Oma gave Tori a baby doll that she became immediately attached to. She didn't want to put her baby down on all day. It is so cute to watch her cuddle, rock, and pat her baby.

She figured out how to push around her Walk-n-Ride toy without having to put down her baby. Smart girl.

Tori with all of her loot. No, we didn't just strap her down so she would hold still. She actually received that stroller as a gift . . . and if it happens to conveniently restrain the child so she sits still for a picture, fabulous :)

New Stuff

New Hair-Do's: Yes, those are little spikes of hair behind those bows! I have so much fun now that Tori's hair is just long enough to play with.

New Glasses: Tate snapped his glasses in half during a temper tantrum in November. They have been held together with tape, a paper clip, a twist tie, and epoxy for two and a half months (look closely at the picture above). He saw the eye doctor last week, and we are happy to announce that his eyes have improved! So he got new glasses with a new prescription. Good news all around. And Tate was sure to thank Heavenly Father in his prayers for his "glasses without tape on them."

New Skills: We took Tate bowling for the first time on Phil's birthday. We had a lot of fun and Tate found a new sport that he loves. His favorite part was to push the ball down the lane without the help of the ramp . . . and watch for the next ten or fifteen minutes until the ball finally met the pins.

New Tooth: Tori's first tooth broke ground a few weeks ago. She now has a cute, lop-sided little grin.

Note: Cute, lop-sided grin not pictured above due to lack of cooperation from child.

Pictures

Oh, about two months ago now, I had Tate and Tori's pictures taken. You may have noticed a few of them elsewhere on the blog even though I hadn't had a chance to post all of them yet. My sister-in-law's sister took them and she did an amazing job. I would highly recommend her. Go to www.cupcakeimagesphotography.com for more information.

Oh, and if Tate's smile looks a little fake in some of the pictures, it's because it is. And if Tori looks a little bit grumpy, it's because she is. It's amazing how a good photographer can turn less than ideal circumstances into some pretty awesome photos.

Having Ourselves a Merry Little Christmas

MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS! Below you'll find picture evidence that we did in fact celebrate Christmas, even though we are slow to post about it. We had a fabulous time celebrating our Savior's birth with wonderful friends and family.

"I'm so excited for Christmas I could pee my pants! (But I won't, cuz mommy will cry.)"

"My trike is bigger than yours!"

"Hee, hee. I've got a nicer ride than mommy!"

"Weeks of looking and I finally get to touch!"
"Just what I always wanted. A ginormous box!"

"This is it?"

"I'm melting, I'm melting!"


"Now turn that camera off so I can eat this book in peace!"

"Are you sure this is traditional shepherd garb?"

"No, really. I don't want any presents! I've been a very bad girl, I promise!"

"When can I stop pretending to like this guy?"