Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Korrali and I went to Cantigny this year to commemorate the holiday and they had a giant chalk board asking what freedom means to you. So here's the question, what does freedom mean to you?

?

To me, it means the freedom to debate over what freedoms we should have - we can talk openly about Hobby Lobby, and tell the world we love our Savior, and converse in a friendly way with people who have religious beliefs completely opposite of us. It also means the freedom to take my toddler to a giant park and let her run and play without worry of harm.

She agreed to wear her headband for almost an hour!

I always love and appreciate when places give out free baby-safe things to hold. This commemorative flag kept her hand busy enough to me to snap this picture and get my camera safe before preventing her from climbing off the rocks into this pond.  (She was too fast to prevent from climbing over the rocks, right next to the sign asking us not to climb on the rocks.)

She loved this fountain. I think we spent 40 minutes playing with it. To a toddler attention span, that's like, a million years. To her, freedom is playing in the water feature!

I'm also grateful for the freedom to eat candy or ice cream or brownies after my daughter goes to bed with abandon. Freedom is ability to be who I am without fear, to become something better, and to really love the process (and sometimes to hate that process too).

 I need to add here, that we spent the evening having a grill out with some really good friends of ours from college. Korrali Loved their cat. Cap.it.al L. It came downstairs when we arrived, and she didn't want to do anything else the whole time (aside from eating) besides following it, petting it, pointing to its nose, and occasionally trying to give it giant hugs. The cat was very tolerant of her petting, and seemed to enjoy sitting up to nose her finger, or reach and and touch her finger with a paw. I helped it escape from the hugs. The sweet critter was so patient. Every so often, Korrali would have a little private freak out of excitement.
Pet, pet, pet. Back up, crouch down, shake with excitement and shriek with giggles. (the cat escapes) Stand up, find the cat. Repeat. Also, we learned that Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce is really excellent inside a beef patty.

How to look out the window

Step 1:

 Step 2:

 Step 3:

Dance party

Once in a while we have a friend over - this little one is one of our favorite friends. We and Korrali just play and jam it up together. This time, we had an dance party.

It's not, granted, the most exciting party ever. But it is fun to watch babies expressing themselves creatively.

West Coast Girls

Korrali and I are, by now, seasoned travelers. Our third trip this year was to Seattle to surprise my Mom for mother's day and attend my brothers Ensign Concert performance.

It was a great concert; go Peter! My mom looks like she has one blue eye and one brown one here - while that IS a "groovy mutation", she actually just has two brown ones. Blast you red-eye correct.

 Korrali and I enjoyed Peter's amazing concert from the lobby - where they piped in the music and had the live video playing on TVs. Front-row walking seats!

Korrali loved sharing with Lydia, her adorable cousin. I LOVE Lydia's hair, and her sunny personality and infectious smile. We also loved the time with Grandma Henderson (Nana, or Popi.), and with Uncle Peter and Aunty Laila.
Korrali still lights up whenever she hears their names or sees their picture.

Where are we? On top of Smith Tower; look it's the space needle!

A quick lunch at Alki Beach.

We hurried home after this to take Mother's Day pictures at a gorgeous park. It was so nice to be with Mom on Mother's Day. I don't have an official post yet - I'll wait for the pictures - but I'm so grateful to have had a great mother to raise me, and to continue to support and bless my life!

Korrali loved their little dog. She followed her around callig "do(g)", woke her up, and gently petted her. Sometimes she even gently rested her head on the dog's back - "cuddling". 

On the flight home, we jammed out to plane music - something weird from the '70's or '80's. She is so fun to travel with (for the first 3 hours). We have been so blessed to have friendly, compassionate, "nothing she can do will bother me, really I promise" seat friends.

1 year old and counting

We have a toddler! This is the parenting phase known as Intensive Speed and Reflex Boot Camp. I don't think they make cameras that turn on and expose their lenses to light fast enough to catch the moments while our daughter is doing cute things and before she notices the camera is within her grasp, so here are a few pictures before she turned 1. She is certainly a baby of interesting enthusiasms.

She likes to climb stairs - this one's pretty normal for a baby

And be put into boxes - less normal.

She likes to crawl around the garden eating dirt and holding tools. Also fairly? normal for a baby. She gave me the funniest glare when I asked her to look at me for the picture. "You're bothering me, WHY?"

Taking the road less traveled by. And getting stuck (she didn't love that part).

She finally turned over the full water bowl.
Congratulations, baby soaking in water and dog slobber.

Easter!
We let her find and open plastic eggs with veggies straws and chocolate covered marshmallows.
I think she got the point of the Easter Egg Hunt. And yes, the ears were her Easter gift to me. Bwahaha.

Ok, I have managed to have a few taken of her after her birthday - here are some from her family party. We love having our cousins so close by, and we loved even more that Elena and Aaron happened to be in town to celebrate with us.

Luckily for all of us who wanted to eat cake this millennium, her cousins were there to help her open her gifts.
I loved that they helped her feel excited about the opening.

Logan was so sweet, he even taught her how to use this one.
Teo loves to photo-bomb. Another reason we have only a few photos taken by me these days.

Did I mention we were celebrating JD's birthday, my birthday,
and our anniversary in addition to Korrali's 1 year birthday?
Happy Birthdiversary Days!

Mmm, chocolate cake overload. 

I love the crazy, awesome, never dull, screaming, giggling, loving, wonderful family we have! I'm so grateful for the 7 years JD and I have been married, the 5 years we've been blessed with an exuberant Teo and the 13 months we've been blessed with our fun Lilu.

Korrali's laugh will brighten your day.

For those of you who are not on Facebook, please enjoy this therapeutic session of Korrali's laughter.  

Ok that went by fast

Where did the time go? Well, so far this year, it has gone in California and Colorado. And Minnesota.

We went to go find the sunshine, since Chicago seemed to have forgotten what it was. We aimed for Arizona and landed instead in the Bay Area and loved every minute with Grandparents. Please excuse the lack of editing on the pictures, I don't know how to do it on a Mac.

Lilu loved sucking on the animal tail in the toy box, and she loved playing with Popi. We call Grandma Henderson Popi (Poh-pi) because it's short for PoPo (Grandmother in Chinese). I loved letting Lilu roam all over the house - it belongs to a wonderful elderly woman and thus has no stairs and lots of carpeting.

My Dad and Step-Mom live just down the hill from the Oakland Temple. I love the fog in the Bay Area! My Step-Mom speaks mostly Spanish, but she gave a talk in English at their Stake Conference (which was at the Inter-Stake Center on Temple grounds).

She thought she was going to die of fright, but she did a great job.

We came up together during the week to the Visitor's Center at the Temple.

Lilu loved the fountain. Who doesn't?

She was pretty proud of herself for standing up. She barely needs to hold on, but she thought the little puddles on the wall were neat. Late winter is the best time in the Bay Area - everything is warming up but it's still so lush and green!

Grandpa Henderson helped her to fly, and she and he both loved it. (She sticks her fist to her mouth when she's having a screaming good time.)

We had a few minutes to play at the airport while we waited to see if we would get on the flight (We flew stand-by).

We also went to Colorado; we surprised Grandma Quillen on her birthday. We were lucky enough to catch a flight on a Saturday (whaaaat? very challenging in the stand-by world. I suppose it WAS the 6 am commuter, so not that many people chose to fly at that time.)

This face is her new silly face. It's accompanied by snorting.

Grandma Quillen loved our surprise. We snuck into her room before she woke up and stood there while she realized who was there to see her =) Lilu wasn't sure a screaming-surprised-happy bed was her beloved Grandma Quillen at first, but she soon warmed up.

Daddy came too! How did we get so lucky? Oh, and it was so nice to see the sun. 

I drove down to Colorado Springs to see my friend - we've been friends since Sunbeams and it's so fun to also be having babies at the same time. Her little girl is almost three months old.

Lilu loved Riah, the family dog. Riah liked to be patted by Lilu too.

This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Of course she loved Grandpa and his beard. And the fact that he held her upside down.

Her first piano lesson. 

Also new are four front teeth - two tops and two bottoms - coming in since our trip to Colorado.

And her love of climbing on stuff. And her love of socks - she will carry them around and sing to them. She loves playing with Teo - particularly keep away.. where she offers him the toy and then jerks it away. (You guessed it, JD taught her that one).