Baby It's Cold Outside

I have to admit I love the snow.

 Especially new snow. 

And it makes me giddy inside when we get piles and drifts of snow overnight.

 Doesn't it make the world seem fresh and clean again?

 This was Abby's very very first time walking and playing by herself in the snow. 

(Thanks, Angie, for takingthe pictures!)

They should warn you how much you are going to love these little people. Seriously.

Wonderland

I live in a valley of wonders. I am silenced daily by the beauty that surrounds me on all sides.

Last week, we were blessed with a thick, wet snowfall that covered our little corner of the valley with nearly eighteen inches of snow. I hear groans, but really, its amazing, gorgeous, and even fun.

It would have been a shame to simply sit indoors, so we all bundled up and headed out into the frozen world to see what we could see.

And what we saw amazed us. I love how the snow makes everything seem fresh and clean. I love that you can grab a simple disc and head down a hill at breakneck speed with a small degree of safety.

Abby went down the hill over and over. She laughed and waved her arms. She is a true champion, and I promise you, she has no fear....unless you wear glasses :) Right now those frighten her a little bit.

So, another first has come and gone and we had fun and will cherish the memories. My brother and sister were both in town, so we were able to go as a family. I really do enjoy having company. The effort is worth the reward. And now my house is empty again and I am cleaning up and putting away. Tomorrow, I will take down the Christmas tree. But today, I am just enjoying the memories of a sweet Christmas all together and praying that this new year will be free of some of the challenges we encountered in 2010.

So, Happy [belated] New Year to all of you. 

I hope that this year, all of your wildest wishes come true!

Full of Hot Air

Do I really need words for this post?

Ok, Well...

 It's about a little girl who had a lot of fun with her first balloon. 

 She bopped it and bapped it and carried it all over the house.

 This silly pink balloon made her a very cheerful little girl.

 What is that saying from Winnie the Pooh?

"Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon"

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

This Christmas was a fun and special time for our little family. We were blessed to have Abby's Grandma and Granddad fly up from Florida, along with her auntie and uncle. While it wasn't Abby's first Christmas, it definitely was her first Christmas being aware of what was happening around her.

Santa brought Abby a fun new toy...

But Grandma and Granddad brought her toy that was way more fun!

 Her Auntie brought our little dancer her first tutu and it is ADORABLE!

 And I, well, I must have been very very good!!! Or perhaps my sweet husband just loves me very very much. I am so delighted with this that I simply cannot not blog about it. I know that this isn't supposed to be a craft blog, but I am a crafty girl. I love to sew and quilt and create. Unfortunately, that is hard to do with a broken sewing machine. So my sweet Mr Darling went out and bought me the sewing machine I have been dreaming of. I was shocked and surprised. And I feel so loved. It really is the thought that counts, and the thought behind this was wonderful and sweet and kind and selfless. I cannot say thank you to him enough! (but that won't stop me from trying!)

 I was able to spend time sewing with my mom, eating yummy food, celebrating my brother's birthday with amazing steak talking with my dad and just enjoying time together as a family.

It was wonderful!

One

I have one child. 

And today, she is one year old.

Truly.

 I love her with my whole heart. I am not sure I will ever love anyone else as much as I love her. She only needs to smile at me to get whatever her little heart desires. And her smiles are beyond precious. Each time I catch one on film, I feel a little bit of joy creep into me.

 She is so smart and so curious. She loves to investigate new things, and she learns and discovers so much. She has spent the last year growing and watching and becoming so much more than a baby.

 She can walk all by herself. And she constantly carries things from point a to point b. It is fun and funny. We love to watch her busy at work.

She adores being adored. And when she is surrounded by friends, she simply glows. She chatters non-stop to anyone and everyone we meet. 'Stranger Danger' is a phenomenon she simply cannot comprehend. In her world, there are only friends we haven't met (and stolen toys from) yet...

So Happy Birthday, dear little girl. I love you more every day. The first year of your life has been so wonderful and so hard and so worth it. I am grateful to be your mama. I am grateful that He chose us to be your family. Thank you for being patient with me while I learn how to mother.

I miss the baby that you were but I can't wait to see the little girl you become!

Wordless Wednesday: Tomato Soup Edition

Attitude of Gratitude

Last week, I stumbled on a ksl advert that had already been posted for a few days offering free wood. Now, good wood is usually pretty expensive. Like, way out of our price range expensive. But, with winter's arrival eminent, Mr Darling and I agreed that we needed several truckloads and fast. Neither one of us knew where we wanted to take the $500 dollars from.

This ad seemed too good to be true, and the fact that it was a few days old made me think it had already been snapped up. But I called anyway. And the guy said the wood was still there. So, I raced up to Provo, not expecting much, but hoping to put a small dent in our wood requirements. And, what did I find?

More wood than we needed. A LOT more. So we took four truckloads of wood, and that, combined with another truckload we had been given by the owner of Mi Rancherito (seriously, the best Mexican restaurant in Utah Valley, you should try it!) made us very happy and very busy little bees.

So, for our bonding time on Saturday, instead of watching BYU slap down UNLV in what Mr. Darling refers to as a 'professional pillow fight', we rented a wood splitter and went to work.

Such a great invention! We chopped and split and chopped and split and now we will be able to use this:

To keep this:

Nice and warm.

So, as we head into this time of Thanksgiving, I have yet another thing to be thankful for.