My Funny Valentine

This year we decided to start our Valentines Day out with a Holm tradition- a pancake breakfast. We planned on them being pink and heart-shaped, but I was out of red dye, and Ben was in a hurry, so we enjoyed some blue (which made them slightly moldy looking) circle pancakes instead. It was still fun and Paige loved her first little taste of pancake.

Paige also enjoyed her first taste of chocolate (besides the pounds of it she's probably already tasted from nursing and when I was pregnant with her). My mom sent her a valentines package with a cute heart shirt and plastic heart filled with M&Ms. Love her goofy grin in this picture.

We hit up Houlihans for dinner (so delicious), I went to Young Womens, then came home to a surprise scavenger hunt from Ben, followed by eating Milk Duds while watching Biggest Loser. Love my cute husband and our funny little girl!

Paige 5 & 6 months

Paige just turned 7 months, so I have some catching up to do! Here's what she's been up to the past 2 months:
-She's very into rolling. Grandpa got her into it over Christmas and now she rolls everywhere...into the kitchen...in the back of Sunday school...in her crib...she's on the move!

-She has become a great sitter and loves being able to sit and play with toys (we still fall over occasionally)

-She loves baby food! We started her on rice cereal at 5 months because I just didn't feel I was producing enough and she seemed so interested in food. She tried baby food (sweet potatoes first) over Christmas break and is now on the "stage 2" food and usually eats 2 at each sitting. Some of her favorites are berries, anything banana, and peach cobbler. She's not a huge fan of vegetables, but tolerates them if mixed with fruit. She actually likes the chicken stuff, too (which smells terrible!) She's become pretty demanding about her food and there is usually a melt down if I take too long getting the food from the kitchen. We've also started giving her little pieces of our food, and she tried her first french frire (yes, I count that as an exciting milestone), and loved it! And of course, she still loves nursing.

First time trying rice cereal

Thought her high chair was very exciting

-She uses a sippy cup with water! She thinks its very fun and looks like such a big girl

-She can shimmy her way almost completely out of her bouncer (before I grab her)

-She is too heavy for the swing to swing her....sad day

-She now sits in the cart sometimes (instead of in her car seat) and thinks it is very fun. She holds on to the bar, plays/sucks on the groceries, and smiles at all the customers.

-She is still an awesome sleeper, usually sleeping from around 7:30pm-7am, and usually takes 2 naps a day

-She still rubs her eyes when she's tired, and loves her blanket, binkie, and to lay on my chest. And when in doubt, a few verses of "I love you, a bushel and a peck" does the trick.

-She is very into grabbing hair and earrings

-She thinks everything Ben does is funny and has the sweetest little laugh

5 months

-She loves to blow bubbles and has a very serious face while doing it. She also has really "discovered" her voice and can talk quite load at times. Both bubbles and Tarzan talk are very fun to her while shopping.

-Her hair almost totally lays flat now, but can still get some crazy poof in the back

-As long as she's been fed and isn't too sleepy, she is a happy little girl and smiles at just about everyone.

6 months

6 month stats:

Height: 27 in- 95 percentile

Weight: 16 lbs 8 0z- 75 percentile

Head: 17.5 in-  75 percentile

My sister-in-law, Camille, took some fun 6 month pictures for us. Paige was totally happy to sit in the chair and smile...she's a little poser.

New Years Eve and more

Finally, the rest of my trip to WA over Christmas. We had fun hanging out all together, letting the kids play and the adults get in a lot of games. Here's a few pictures of how we spent the week.
-We all went to a bouncy house/play place. I thought I would just sit and watch, but it just looked like too much fun.

 -We used our Christmas money from Grandma Jean and enjoyed an adults night out to Falls Terrace.

 -Paige tried out her new floaty in Grandma's tub...she's ready for the pool!

 -Ben and Paige enjoyed some good naps

-We got to see Jamie (we've been best friends since we were like 9), Glen, and Sailor . We hadn't seen each other since we both lived in Utah (1 1/2 years ago!) and it was our first time we got to meet each others little girls. Paige loved getting to party with Sailor for her birthday.

-My dad made this sleigh and Paige was the perfect size this year to fit in it.

 -For New Years Eve Camille set up "Minute to Win It" games for us to play. We had fun testing our skills. Then we let the kids celebrate around 9:30 by popping some poppers and banging pots and pans. I am proud to say Ben and I stayed up till midnight and toasted with some sparkling cider.
-My sister, brother, and brother-in-law sang in church together the next day

stacking them while nursing...multitasking at its best

 I had planned on flying home with Ben, but while we were in WA my brother-in-law's (Brandon) mom passed away from ALS. We grew up with his family in our ward and she was my piano teacher when I was little, so I extended my trip so I could attend her funeral. It was a very nice service full of beautiful music and sweet stories. I'm glad I got to stay for it. It was also nice to get even more time with my family.

-Paige loved watching Leo walk around and we discovered barking makes her laugh hysterically

-She also loved all the time she got with all her great-grandparents

We had so much fun in WA. I ended up being there almost 3 weeks and loved every minute of playing with my family. Thanks again mom and dad, can't wait to see you soon!