Whew, time for an update!

Gosh, I have been a horrible blogger this past month -- but we have been busy, so there's my excuse!

I will post house pictures someday...when I feel like my house is in order! It just takes such a long time to get everything situated and decorated the way you like! We're getting there, though! And I just can't even express how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our new home -- the house, the city, the neighborhood, the ward, etc., etc., etc. It has been soooo wonderful to finally settle in and everyone has taken to the new environment so seamlessly! And to see Chris walk in that door every day at lunch is even better than I had imagined! I feel like we have so much more time together as a family and it is a real blessing! Pics to come, I promise!

Let's see, first off...I am sooo digging the music from the Hope for Haiti fundraiser. But on the top, top, top of the list is Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris' version of "Hallelujah". DIVINE!! It has been on repeat for the last few weeks, obsessively! And Matt Morris has some pretty great music of his own, check it out! "Bloodline" and "Live Forever" -- definite faves!

What else? Our little miss Kaiya is growing up so fast! When we moved to our house, we decided to just transition her to a big-girl bed. This was scary for me because Kaiya has always been the most incredible sleeper. Truly. So, we weren't sure how this would mix things up. It has gone surprisingly wonderful! The first day we got the bed up, she took a 3-hour nap on it and it has been pretty easy ever since! It does take her longer to fall asleep for naps and at night, but I don't think much sleep has been lost by any of us through this big step! It is sooo funny to see her in that bed, though. She looks sooo tiny, like the bed might swallow her! We got bunkbeds so that the girls can share a room when Tay is old enough, but for now, we have them separated so Kai can have her half all to herself! I am still waiting for her new bedding to come and then I'll get some pics of the big girl in her big-girl bed! It's pretty exciting to see her taking these big steps and to conquer them all so easily! It always seems to be a bigger deal for me than it ever is for her! Way to go, sweetness! She is also talking so much more in full sentences. Some funnies that she says: "Oh come on" (daddy says that one all the time when he's frustrated!), "Uh-oh, don't fall" (when she almost falls), "Bless you, Tay-tay" (when Tay sneezes or coughs), "No, no Tay-tay" (when Taylor has something that Kaiya wants), "Good boy, Chase" or "Chase, go potty", "That's so funny" (complete with a fake smile and head throw-back). She also loves to go up to every single person wherever we are (grocery store, restaurants, etc.) and introduce her dolls to them. Most people are very nice and oblige her and most laugh because she acts like she has known them forever. And yet, other times, she can act so shy. Guess it depends on the day!

Tay broke her third tooth right around the time we moved in here and it was a doozy for her. She had a pretty high fever and was just miserable for about 2 days, but once the tooth popped out, she was back to her happy self!
She also transitioned to her new bed (the crib) and it actually took her longer than it took Kaiya. She now had all this room to roll around in and roll she did! Unfortunately every time she rolled, she woke herself up and so it took her about 2 weeks to get in a full night sleep. It was not fun, since she has been sleeping through the night since about 2 months! But this last week she got back into her routine and is now sleeping like a champ again! She has taken a few crawls forward, but isn't crawling yet. She is so close! She is funny, though, because rather than just crawl, she has started the habit of getting up on her toes and her hands like she's doing a push-up! It is too funny! She is eating soooo well too! Probably because it has taken mom so long to get into the habit of feeding her solids (I still have a hard time remembering that she is old enough to be eating real food!). She opens her mouth like a little baby bird and eats pretty much ANYTHING! YAY! And the best news of all, her reflux has gotten sooo much better with eating solids! Like we're almost to the point where she isn't spitting up at all anymore! I can't tell you what a relief that one is! (We could NEVER do this before or we would be covered in puke!)She is getting so big and is just pure joy! Seriously, never seen a baby who smiles more! She also has started doing this funny head-cock thing and what's even funnier is that if you do it first, she will totally imitate you!
(yes, she is) One of the best things recently is seeing Kai and Tay interact more and more with each other. They seriously ADORE one another and have the most special bond. It has been such an instant thing with them. The other day, I was folding laundry and Taylor was sitting in her chair and Kai went over and they started laughing and interacting and playing with each other and occupied each other for about a half hour. It was the cutest thing ever. I didn't want to move so as to interrupt their fun so I just sat and watched them. Kaiya would do something and Tay would laugh and then Tay would make some funny noise and Kai would laugh. There is just something so special there and I know that these two girls knew and loved each other before they ever got here to Chris and I! We've had some fun visitors to the house, most importantly Grandma and Grandpa and some special visits from great Grandma too! Four generations of these ladies -- pretty special! The girls are also loving having cousins so close by -- we're gonna have to lock these girls up someday -- they are just cute trouble! Sometimes it just feels like a diaper factory around here! More motivation to get Kaiya potty-trained!
So, there's a little update! Life keeps on moving forward and we feel so blessed to be so happy and healthy!