Eva's found a new toy...

And it is the dirty laundry basket in her room and all the trash cans in our house. Not the best option, my dear.

Lots of Pictures of Little Girl!

So, I finally learned how to use the manual setting on our nice new camera. Eva has kindly consented to be my model. She's so cute that I just have to post these pictures somewhere. These first set of pictures are when we were playing in the living room one morning a couple weeks ago.

 Look who can pull herself up on the coffee table.

I think she had an itchy chin. I got multiple shots similar to this one.  

 Haha…I love this face!

I was trying to get her to smile at the camera, but for some reason she has decided that when the camera is out she will just look at it with a straight face and nothing more. 

This next set of pictures is from a few days later during lunch time. I was particularly trying to get a picture of her two teeth. 

Tired eyes…

This was taken in the middle of her trying to tell me something in 'babble' language. It was a very serious topic apparently. 

Two little teeth

 Beautiful eyes--compliments of her daddy! Just look at those lashes.

The curious Eva

Cute things Eva is doing lately:

- She'll grab her food and then squish her hand to try and make noise, while making the most serious face

- She loves to eat leaves and it drives me crazy. We have a tree right outside our door that sheds little leaves all the time. They get tracked into our house and then Eva finds every single one of them and tries to eat them. She'll get them in her mouth and then clench her jaw so we can't get them out. 

- She discovered behind the couch today. She crawled the whole length of the couch looking for none other than the forbidden leaves. 

- She loves riding on shoulders and laughs and giggles the whole time because she loves being taller than everyone else. 

- She loves her daddy SO much! She looks at him with the cutest grin and always goes to him right when he gets home. She is a daddy's girl for sure!

8 months

Eva is 8 months today!

At 8 months, she is super close to crawling. She will probably have it down in about 2 weeks. Still no signs of teeth for our little one. She babbles like crazy and has just started to shake her head back and forth for fun. She loves all food that we have given her, unless it is too cold (with the exception of ice cream). She has also started to spit out her food when she doesn't like it or is done and it makes quite a mess. She is still our happy babe, loves to play and laugh and especially loves chewing on paper. We sure love her!

Home Pictures, Tiny Girl and Morgan Starts Law School

While dressing Eva today, I found the cutest purple 6-9 month shirt for her. I thought it might be a little big, but might work (after all she is about 8 months old). So, I put it on her and it is so long on her tiny body. It goes to the middle of her thigh. Periodically I also try to put on Eva's smallest pair of shoes to see if they fit. They are 'newborn' size…and her feet are still half an inch too small (like they have always been).

I think she still only weighs a max of 15 pounds. She is such a little girl, but it's not for want of trying. The little wiggle eats like crazy! She drinks at least 20 ounces of milk and eats at least 2 cups of solids a day.

I also took a few pictures of our town home out here in Charlottesville and thought I'd post them. I LOVE living here. It is absolutely beautiful!

In other news, Morgan started law school!! He has gone a total a 4 days now and he's stayed up on homework and hasn't been called on yet. Here is his first day of school picture.

Last Week of Freedom

We have really been loving our time here in Charlottesville. It is beautiful and everyone is just so friendly. Part of that may be due to the fact that we have the cutest baby girl! Speaking of Eva, she is well on her way to crawling. She follows me around now, but just in scooting form. It is SO cute! She has also finally decided that she loves bath time.

In other news, Morgan got his diploma in the mail. This is his official 'graduation' picture.

Also, I finally finished a project that I started 4 months ago. I saw this awesome sunburst mirror on Pinterest. It is made from paint stir sticks, a quilting hoop, and a round mirror. I just painted the sticks and hot glued them around the mirror. It took me an hour to make the whole thing.

Daniel of the Lyons Den

On Tuesday evening we received some terrible news. Morgan's only brother, Daniel, had passed away.  We promptly flew to Colorado Springs to be with his family. We helped arrange the funeral and Morgan did a great job editing his life sketch. Daniel was such a funny kid. He was always making everyone laugh. He was so accepting and kind to others and really enjoyed spending time with his family, playing games, laughing and visiting (among many other things). His funeral was one of the best services I have ever attended. His life sketch was absolutely perfect and every talk and musical number fit together so well. I especially appreciated the closing remarks that were given by a member of the stake presidency. He just reaffirmed my knowledge that this life is not the end. We will see the ones we love again. I especially love that he said that no matter what we do in this life we will always have the opportunity to repent and come back into the presence of the Lord. We are all prodigal sons who, if we choose to repent and come back, will be welcomed with open arms. 

Loosing someone in this life is always a tragedy, but I am glad that I have my faith to fall back on when it happens. It makes a life that could be full of such misery and heartache one of hope. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have found peace. The Savior died and was resurrected so that we could all be together again. The sacrifice and resurrection of the Savior is a wonderful blessing and why the angels declared at the Lord's coming that they had glad tidings of great joy! In Mosiah 16:7-8 it says: 

7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.

 8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

 I know that my Savior lives! And because he lives we will all live again and be together again! I had the opportunity to sing I Stand All Amazed at the Funeral and the lyrics sum up my testimony perfectly:

 

1. 1. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
   Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
   I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
   That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
2. (Chorus)
   Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
   Enough to die for me!
   Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
3. 2. I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
   To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
   That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
   Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
4. 3. I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
   Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
   No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
   Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.