Our little miss Isabelle Jane turned 1 on July 18th! Although it feels like she was born forever ago, I feel like she is just growing so fast! It is crazy to me that we have left the baby phase and are well into the toddler phase.
I am sure that I am not the only person who has felt the way I do, but as we have hit this significant benchmark, I am feeling like a horrible mother. I have not been consistent in keeping a journal about all of Isabelle's growth and each mile marker. I have not written down when she rolled over for the first time or when she got her first tooth. I don't have video of her first steps. I don't have pictures of every significant event through her first year. And I'm wishing I could make up for it and remember every little single thing so I can document it, but let's be honest - a lot of it is a big blur. I may have well been on drugs for the first three months of her life (but don't worry, I wasn't) - between the recovery from the delivery/c-section, the recovery from my whacked out hormones, trying to get a grasp on being a mom, and trying to stay on top of things with work - things were definitely crazy and there are few significant things that I can remember.
Although I eventually regained a sense of who I am and became more of a normal person, life didn't get any less busy, and unfortunately, I didn't get any better at keeping a scrapbook or a journal. Although I did make a few attempts to write in a baby book my aunt gave to me, I know that I missed out on writing a lot of things down. I hope that one day Isabelle will forgive me for not being more on top of things - for not having newborn pictures, for not sending out birth announcements, for not documenting her growth each month of her first year, for not scrapbooking all the precious moments, for not doing all the things that I always wanted to do and wish I did do.
Now that this post which was supposed to be about my adorable daughter has turned into a self-hating session, I will try to make it more of a positive entry.
Although I missed out on a lot of writing and picture taking, I truly have enjoyed this last year with our beautiful daughter. Isabelle has truly been such an incredible blessing in our lives. She has such a positive spirit about her and has a way of just making you feel good. Even though I haven't been the perfect mom, the time that I have had this last year to be a first-time mommy has been nearly perfect. It has been an incredible experience to bring a child into this world and to experience this part of Heavenly Father's plan, to take part in such a divine calling. I have treasured the last 12 months and I so look forward to the future years with our little Isabelle.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
4th of July
Once upon a time, my family and relatives used to take an annual trip to the Grand Tetons and camp over the 4th of July. It has been quite some time since we last went (like 10 years or so long time) and this year, my youngest sister Kathryn decided we needed to reintroduce the tradition. We have talked about it many times, but this year Kathryn actually pulled through and reserved the campsite for us, so the trip actually happened!
We camped at Colter Bay in the Grand Tetons for 4 nights and spent our days visiting some sites. Unfortunately, we were there for such a short time that we couldn't fit everything in, but we were able to fit in a few highlights of beautiful of northwestern Wyoming.
We arrived Thursday night, July 1st and didn't have time to but anything but set up camp before heading to bed.
On Friday, we hiked around Jenny Lake and up to the waterfall then took a boat ride back. It was a long hike with a baby, 4 kids, and some out-of-shape adults, but it was fun.
Then on Saturday, we took the drive up to Yellowstone to visit Old Faithful and walked around the geysers. For some reason, those geysers seemed a lot cooler when I was younger, but we still had fun.
For the 4th, on Sunday, we had our own family sacrament meeting at the campsite. My dad and uncle Bruce organized a simple and nice little meeting. I was actually quite impressed for having been such a sporadic meeting, as we had planned on attending church at the Jackson Lake Lodge, but changed our plans once we found out Sacrament was not until 6:30pm. Dave and my brother Jeff prepared the sacrament, and Kathryn's fiance, Matt, and my cousin, Josh passed the sacrament. My uncle Bruce conducted the meeting and gave an inspirational talk about the blessing of the gospel being restored in our country and the responsibility we have as members of the gospel of Jesus Christ and citizens of this country to live righteously in order to maintain the freedoms we do. My dad added a few thoughts and then opened some time for testimonies. Although very simple, the meeting was a spiritual one. It was really neat to see the priesthood holders in my family gather together and provide the opportunity for us to partake of the sacrament, and to feel of the spirit as we sat together as a family in the sounds and scenery of the mountains. I felt as if that day and that meeting was a tender mercy. The simplicity and yet strength of that day was a testimony building experience for me.
After church, we traveled to Jackson Hole just in time to watch a really lame shoot-out near the town square, walk through a couple shops, and then make our way to the baseball park for the spectacular fireworks show. The night was definitely colder than I remember past 4ths in Jackson being, but the fireworks were pretty incredible, and in my opinion, they were the best that we've seen there.
After a long and late night in Jackson, the inevitable came, and we had to wake up early to get camp packed up and head back home. It was a very short few days, but they were fun. I always love spending time in nature, I love spending time with family, and I love having new experiences with my cute hubby and baby.
We camped at Colter Bay in the Grand Tetons for 4 nights and spent our days visiting some sites. Unfortunately, we were there for such a short time that we couldn't fit everything in, but we were able to fit in a few highlights of beautiful of northwestern Wyoming.
We arrived Thursday night, July 1st and didn't have time to but anything but set up camp before heading to bed.
On Friday, we hiked around Jenny Lake and up to the waterfall then took a boat ride back. It was a long hike with a baby, 4 kids, and some out-of-shape adults, but it was fun.
Then on Saturday, we took the drive up to Yellowstone to visit Old Faithful and walked around the geysers. For some reason, those geysers seemed a lot cooler when I was younger, but we still had fun.
For the 4th, on Sunday, we had our own family sacrament meeting at the campsite. My dad and uncle Bruce organized a simple and nice little meeting. I was actually quite impressed for having been such a sporadic meeting, as we had planned on attending church at the Jackson Lake Lodge, but changed our plans once we found out Sacrament was not until 6:30pm. Dave and my brother Jeff prepared the sacrament, and Kathryn's fiance, Matt, and my cousin, Josh passed the sacrament. My uncle Bruce conducted the meeting and gave an inspirational talk about the blessing of the gospel being restored in our country and the responsibility we have as members of the gospel of Jesus Christ and citizens of this country to live righteously in order to maintain the freedoms we do. My dad added a few thoughts and then opened some time for testimonies. Although very simple, the meeting was a spiritual one. It was really neat to see the priesthood holders in my family gather together and provide the opportunity for us to partake of the sacrament, and to feel of the spirit as we sat together as a family in the sounds and scenery of the mountains. I felt as if that day and that meeting was a tender mercy. The simplicity and yet strength of that day was a testimony building experience for me.
After church, we traveled to Jackson Hole just in time to watch a really lame shoot-out near the town square, walk through a couple shops, and then make our way to the baseball park for the spectacular fireworks show. The night was definitely colder than I remember past 4ths in Jackson being, but the fireworks were pretty incredible, and in my opinion, they were the best that we've seen there.
After a long and late night in Jackson, the inevitable came, and we had to wake up early to get camp packed up and head back home. It was a very short few days, but they were fun. I always love spending time in nature, I love spending time with family, and I love having new experiences with my cute hubby and baby.
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