Outings

Merry Christmas everyone! Jer, Misha, and I went on an outing to Tysons Corner to finish up some Christmas shopping today, and while we were there we managed to get all of us some new beanies...(my favorite one given to me by one of my best friends, Jeff Stone, was sadly eaten by mice while we lived at Sundance, and I've been searching for a good one ever since...) Jer and I love the North Face (named for the north face of mountains being the most icy, cold, and hardest side to climb), so we picked ourselves up a couple of sweet ones there, and Misha's we got at the Disney store. She's so stinkin' cute in them! Just to reiterate, I still hate shopping this close to Christmas, even if it is a bit for myself.:) Yes, that's our Christmas tree in the back ground. I refused to put up our fake one, and the one on the table there is actually potted, so I guess we went a little green this year by not actually cutting one down. I snapped this next picture a couple of days ago while we were all at home together. Apparently, Misha's anxious to already be moving out of the bottle stage. Just so you're all prepared-we're not sending out Christmas cards-if you read this, you pretty much know what's going on in our lives. If not, give us a call once in a while-we love hearing from all of you we miss so much. We do hope that this season finds you happy, healthy, and above all, aware that you have a Heavenly Father and a Savior who love you all very very much. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's finally begun

It's official-she's started crawling. Already she has begun to wreak havoc on the house by tipping over the Damp Rid (calcium chloride flakes that soak up moisture in the air) in our room (not easy to clean up might we add), and making her way toward every plastic bag that may be sitting on the floor at the time. She's now adept enough to crawl under the piano and chew on the peddles as well. And thus begins the baby-proofing era of the Brown household....heaven help us all.

Thanksgiving and more proof

Okay, so, you'll have to forgive...this is really just proof for Grandma Brown that we did indeed put her in her Thanksgiving bib...I didn't know it was on video mode, so sorry about that. But she did wear it, and I thought it was really cute. And now-for further proof that my daughter looks like ME...here is a photo comparison...
I'd say that's pretty darn close....I'm pretty sure she's got a bit more chub than I did at that age though...oh well...if you see her in person, she really resembles my picture a lot more than trying to get it in a photo. Nonetheless we had fun at Oma and Opa's. (I've decided I want my parents to be something other than Grandma and Grandpa Heath...I like them to be able to distinguish between grandparents without having to use last names...especially since MY grandparents are Grandma and Grandpa Heath.) Hope all is well with everyone and I hope you had wonderfully filled stomachs after last Thursday.

Misha's first Halloween

Alright, so before you ask, NO, we did not take a 5 and a half month old trick-or-treating. We did however, dress her up for fun pictures. So check out our cute little punk rocker...
And yes, you see correctly, her hair is indeed blue my friends. It was AWESOME! A little gel and her hair spikes like it's nobody's business. I had such fun playing dress up! Anyone have ANY idea how hard it is to put make-up on a child this age, not to mention getting it off? Nonetheless it was fun, and she looked cute. As a side note, she's cutting her two bottom front teeth-according to my mother it must come from Jer's side because apparently in my family we don't cut teeth until around a year. But they're coming in, and perhaps we'll get a pic up of them as soon as I can get my child to hold her mouth open long enough for one.

Our little jaunt

Okay, so this last week my mom and I (and of course Misha) went up to Palmyra, NY for a nice little 3 day trip. For those who don't know what in the world is special about Palmyra, NY...it's where a lot of very special events took place for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith received (what we call) the first vision here. It is where he received the gold plates which he translated into what is now the Book of Mormon (not all of the translation took place here, but it was finished and then published here). The church was organized here on April 6, 1830 with only 30 members to begin with at the Peter Whitmer home down in Fayette (not 10 miles down the road from where the Smith family originally lived-Peter Whitmer home pictured here on the right.) And yes-it's as small as it looks. The 3 witnesses and 8 witnesses also viewed the plates somewhere in the area. Amazingly-11 people squeezed into this small house while the last of the Book of Mormon was translated and then published. I can't even imagine living in something this small with just the three of us. CRAZY. We also went and visited the Smith family farm where Joseph was living when he received his visitation of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and later the angel Moroni. A small temple is now built on what used to be part of the fields owned by the Smiths. Mom and I traded off days of watching Misha and going to the temple. It's so beautiful, and the Spirit there is so very strong. I find it so fitting and such a tribute to Joseph that a temple now sits not far from where he was visited by Heavenly Father and the Savior. We went into the Sacred Grove (where we believe Joseph had his vision-obviously the exact locale is not known, but the Spirit that is there testifies that it is truly hallowed ground through which we walked.) Here's the main part of the trail when you first walk into the grove. There are several paths you can walk through and just enjoy the Spirit that lingers. I thought all the fall leaves on the path were so beautiful. Unlike down here, NY is actually having a fall, as you can see in some of the pics. It was so gorgeous. Misha was such a trooper, and we just bundled her up and took her with us (me carrying her in the chest pack). It was a lot of fun, and I'm so glad my mom and I got to spend the time together.






As a side note, I wish to pay tribute to my cousin's daughter, Halle, who passed away on Sunday. She was due to turn 1 on Nov. 9th, and passed away due to some complications she's been suffering from since birth. It has been hard, I know, on all of the family. If there is, however, one thing that this trip did for me, it was to strengthen and deepen my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that she has fulfilled her purpose in this life-she led a hard one, and I know that Heavenly Father called her home to rest. I know that Megan (my cousin) and Brad (her husband) will see her again, and will find great joy in spending the eternities with her. Families ARE forever, and I know that by living worthy of the covenants we make, we will find the ultimate joy by being with those we love in the eternities to come. Megan and Brad-we love you and our prayers are with you. Wish we were there. Halle-we love you and miss you. Until we meet again in our Father in Heaven's presence....
(Halle is the one in the pink shirt next to Misha, with my nephew Tristan, and my niece Lyla)

This settles it once and for all.

My thanks to Ashley Gould-a dear friend-who sent me this site. It takes the photo and scans the faces and compares them to see who your child resembles. So ha! All you who thought she looks like Jerry were WRONG! Mwahaha! It's a fun site and you should check it out. www.myheritage.com Hope all is well with everyone!

Goings on

So, this picture makes it look like my kid's growing up in the neighborhood I did...and well, she kind of is. But I think kids look funny in over sized hats.

This child is definitely Jerry's...she took this bag of sweetarts out of the bowl you see there in the picture, all on her own. She definitely didn't get the sweet tooth from me! Everyone knows I'm a salty kinda gal.
And we went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival this year-I worked there my senior year of high school. It was fun, but I still say it's more fun working it than to attend it as a patron. Hope everyone is well. And happy day! I'm starting work again! Wahoo!

FINALLY!

Oh yes, you see it right...she is holding the bottle all on her own! FINALLY! I have been waiting for the day that we finally get to make feeding a hands free time. And it has finally come. Can you hear the bells ringing and the angels singing? This week has been one of many firsts. She has begun rice cereal (not looking forward to the smells that will now emanate from my child...), and she rolled over for the first time the other day. We made her repeat said action about 5 times so we could actually witness it. Every time we'd look over, she'd already be on her abdomen. (Like how I'm still using adult words despite the fact that I have a four month old?) Anyway-we actually got a picture of the bottle so that we could mark the historic day of no longer needing to use my hands to feed my kid. WAHOO!

Makes ME laugh

Okay, so I think it's HILARIOUS to put a cloth over my kid's head and watch what she does. She'll look from side to side rather quickly, and it makes me crack up laughing every time. Maybe someone out there thinks I'm a terrible mother, but what's the point in having a kid if it isn't going to entertain you once in a while?
LOOK at the amount of drool on this child's chest. Seriously now. I SO can't wait until she learns to swallow....

Giraffes and pink binkies

Alright-so please forgive the pink binkie. :) It's her "crib binkie," so really the only time she gets it is when she's asleep. I think it's funny that she now will cuddle with this little giraffe too. I love that toy. It's SO soft. We're now getting more and more giggles out of her-she is such a happy baby! She's picked up the new skill of grabbing her feet now as well...in fact the way she's grabbing it in this picture reminds me of a yoga pose I do...it's called "dead bug pose." Haha.

Okay, here we all are.

Can you believe that the photographer got her actually smiling?!?! She is SO cute! I've had a few requests for pictures of all of us-so here's one. And here's the one that we took with my sister (Teresa), her husband(David), and her kids (Tristan and Lyla-sans my step-niece, Cede, who was already back home when we came out to UT.:() These kids are the cutest in the world!
Oh, and here's Misha and my niece, Lyla. I just LOVE Lyla's full faced grins...look at it-it's SO adorable! I just melt when I see her do this-and give Misha a break in this photo-she was only 10 weeks old.:)

Anyhow-happy viewing.

Bumbo what?

Well, we saw one of these seats when we were registering for baby showers when I was pregnant with Misha. It was the coolest thing ever! So, we got one for her this last week since she can finally hold her head up on her own. I think they're so cute being so little and able to sit up on their own and what not. Anyway-so this is our Misha and her new aqua Bumbo seat. May she get many wonderful sits out of it...and so may her future brothers and sisters.

My many thanks

Thank you all for you input on the last blog. That's the best response I've had yet on a blog! I like when you all say stuff. Say some more stuff! Alright, so, I've determined that the following picture means some bad things for the future....
I'm thinking I should get used to this look...and learn to combat the evil from which it springs. Any ideas on how to stay tough when they're so cute with this look?


Also-I just love the way Misha looks when she's being carried down the hall by Jerry. Her little head poking up over his shoulder always brings a smile to my face. Isn't it cute?

I hope you all are doing well-and thanks to those of you who gave me a shout out on the 15th-my thanks for your best wishes.

What do you think?

Okay, so it's time to take a vote! Here's my baby picture on the left (please excuse the pink bow;)) and Misha on the right. While mine is from when I was only a few hours old and Misha's is from about a week after birth, what do you all notice about them? While we FINALLY found a picture of Jerry when he was a baby, sorry mom Brown, but she looks nothing like her daddy. But, that's my opinion. What does everyone think?

What fun, what fun!

So, we've been out of town for the last two weeks. Jer's brother Jimmy got married to a totally awesome chick that we love, named Amy. We think she rocks and that Jimmy made a really good choice. Everyone in both our families was really excited to meet our beautiful Misha. Seeing as how we were there for the wedding, we spent a lot of time with Jer's family.

A few siblings and their families are missing from this photo-but here's a few of them...see how happy they are to have Misha with them? :) In fact, one of Jer's sisters, LeeAnn, said when she told Misha that they were going to send Jer and I home and keep her, she smiled. Nice try LeeAnn. ;) We managed to get out to Utah by way of Denver, CO. A family in our ward moved to Bountiful, UT, and needed a vehicle driven for them, so we took them up! Because of their generosity, we were able to stop in Denver and see my grandparents who normally wouldn't have met her because my grandmother is in a nursing home.

It was wonderful seeing them...I haven't seen them in about 3 years. And just so the record is straight-I trounced Grandpa in the first game of cribbage and it took him two games to make it up. :) While we were in Salt Lake, we stayed with my other Grandparents. Grandma simply loved Misha and she laid the guilt trip about how her great granddaughter is growing up without her around.
Anyway-we had a great time. I got to see my niece and nephew (MY sister's kids) as well-they're so cute!!! Sadly I don't really have any pictures of them though.:( I will soon though and I'll post it then. But I just love them. My niece Lyla has the most adorable smile I've ever seen...and she smiles so easily. Anyway-It was a blast and it really pulled on our heart strings this go around. We miss all our friends...we only had about a day and a half of seeing friends from my college days and our days at Sundance. You know who you all are, and you're terribly missed. Hope everyone had a great few weeks!

Big grins

Is this not the cutest picture ever? I love the classic eye-squinty full face grins. I just can't stand how cute they are when they do this! It makes me wish I could remember or return to the days when I was unabashedly happy over , what?, gas? My mom playing with me? Honestly-the innocence of children! Ignorance truly is bliss, is it not?

Let Freedom Ring

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! This is my absolute favorite holiday. We went to some friends' home and had a lot of fun setting off fireworks and bottle rockets and the such. We dressed Misha in red, white, and blue, of course (it matched her toes!). She is finally smiling more and more for us, and I finally got it on camera! She's so cute! Anyway-I hope everyone took the time to remember what it is we celebrate, and how blessed we are to live where we are free. Happy fourth everyone!

Blessings...

Okay, so this weekend (Sunday actually) was Misha's blessing. In our church we have infants given a name and a blessing when they are about a month or two months old. A friend in my ward, Elena, had her son Viktor blessed on the same day-he was born just a day before Misha. Same hospital and everything-so Elena and I got to visit one another while we were at the hospital. So I got this adorable picture of them together. Elena and I joke that they're going to get married some day...which would be cool, because we really like Elena and Joel. :) My mom made Misha's beautiful blessing dress. You can see a bit of the lavendar ribbon in the collar...here's a better picture of it...
Thanks mom for making it! I think she looks so beautiful in it.:)


Grandma and Grandpa Brown, and Aunt KJ came out for the event as well. We had a blast hanging out with them, and I know they had a blast spending time with Misha. She apparently REALLY likes Aunt KJ because she smiled at her every time KJ held her...I was a little jealous...she never smiles like that for me! We were so glad that they were able to come. Thankfully it won't be too long before we see them again!

Difficulties

As many know, I ALWAYS have my toenails painted...and when holidays come along, they're always painted for that. So, of course, my FAVORITE holiday is coming up in a week, and it was time for a pedi. So while I was doing it I was struck with the brilliant idea to do Misha's toes as well. Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to paint an infant's toes? Let me tell you that taking this picture was no small feat either. However, I did it...I just love baby feet...it's my favorite thing about babies.

Eye of the Tiger

Okay-so, Misha puked on her cute outfit that we had her in, so we put her in her adorable bathrobe while I picked out a different outfit for her to wear. Can't you just hear "eye of the tiger" playing in the background? Jer is always joking that she looks like she's in training whenever she wears this...who knows, maybe she'll follow in the footsteps of the Ali family and make us lots of money when we're old.

Our daughter

Well, here she is. This is Misha at 1 month and 1 day old. I think she's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. And she's a pretty good baby too. And in those rare occasions when she smiles, she is absolutely gorgeous.

Alright already

Well, I've had lots of people say they want to see more pictures, or get updates on us, or whatever...so I finally listened and I'm doing a blog. Welcome to mainstream. Really, if you want to know about us, write or call. It's that easy...and heartfelt. I like that...I like knowing people care. So take a hint.