Hattie the Destroyer

Hattie is the official destroyer of order. As soon as she sees me folding laundry, she promptly comes to unfold it. She is constantly taking books off the bookshelves and out of baskets. When she sees me stacking her toy rings, she beelines it over to me to start taking them apart again. Tupperware is usually scattered throughout the house. So I feel like I am always cleaning up. You may suggest that I shouldn't even try to pick up after her. Well, if I don't, she gets frustrated because there is nothing else to destroy. So when she wakes up from every nap, the house has been restored to order, only for a few minutes until she attacks again.

She is also an expert Oreo eater. Observe.

She also waves goodbye at EVERYTHING. Dad gets out of the car, she waves. We leave a room, she waves. We close the fridge, she waves. But we can never catch it on camera.

Hattie also enjoys doing chores. Every morning she helps me open all the blinds in the house and at night she helps me close them. She's getting really good. She also likes watching Paul do his chores.

We also just got some of the "Signing Time" videos to learn some sign language. She loves them...or she loves the computer. Probably a combination. She dances as the music comes on and laughs when she sees the cats, dogs, and birds. Our little animal lover. But she also loves pushing the play/pause button, mute, and chapter skip button. We'll need a TV eventually if we want our computer to last!

In short, she's at a fun age.

Le-a

How would you pronounce that name in the title? You would say "Leah," right? Think again.

Paul heard a story today about a woman in Louisiana who was suing the school district because everyone pronounced her daughter's name wrong. It was spelled "Le-a". In the newspaper article about the lawsuit, the mother was quoted saying, "The dash ain't silent!" That's right folks. Her name was pronounced "La-dash-a."

Party...party...party!

I thought you'd enjoy a few pictures from Hattie's birthday party last month.

Do you eat it?

She's getting the hang of it

Her new favorite book

Her birthday stash (sp?)

Her demolished cupcake

Walking and Dancing

She has taken her first steps...she won't always do it on demand. It took about three tries before I got this video.

And like many babies, she has taken to dancing. While we were at my Aunt Carma's this weekend, she kept wanting me to wind up this plastic radio that plays "Raindrops keep falling on my head" over and over. And she'd just dance the whole time.

It's autumn time

While we were at Aunt Carma's, I raked some leaves for Hattie to play in. It took her a while to figure out what to do...she sat there for a while before she started to throw anything around. But she got the hang of it eventually. I love the fall!

Thursday Night Football

On Wednesday, I was all geared up for yet another trip to Dallas...eventually I'll stay home for a month at a time, but this time my parents were here for some business and the BYU vs. TCU game today. My flight was set to leave at 12:30, but due to a hydrolics problem, they said it would be 4 hours late. So we went back home (after being there for about 2 hours already) so that Hattie could get her afternoon nap. We went back at 4:00, since it was supposed to take off at 4:30. But they said NOTHING for another hour and a half. Finally at 5:30, they said announced that they would be able to fit all of the remaining passengers on the 6:30 flight. So 6 hours after we were supposed to take off, we were finally on our way. The worst part was the hour and a half when the attendants wouldn't tell us anything, even though it had been over the 4 hour limit. Grrr. Without that midday nap, the day would have truly been a nightmare.

But Hattie did pretty well. She's the next Bobby Fisher, I'd say. We start 'em young at our house.

Sadly the game was very disappointing. I won't go into details, but it was still fun to be at an away game. There were a lot of BYU fans there.

Dad, Mom, and I with Aunt Carma and Uncle Steve

Growing up

There are lots of things to post about, since I've been behind lately. Most of my time has been gobbled up by getting settled in our new place. We are essentially moved in. We just lack a little furniture and a few pictures still need to be hung on the walls. You might wonder why it took so long to finish moving in, but I did go to Dallas for a week. Here are some highlights of Dallas and our new house:

Her new favorite spot at Grandma's - she's obsessed with stuffed animals

Both Paul and Hattie celebrated their birthdays in September, so my in-laws threw a belated party for them

Hattie has been a ton of fun lately. She has started to play by herself really well. And she has taken her first steps! Nothing consistent, and we can never catch it on video since we need a cameraman. She also loves books now, particularly her animal book. She'll take it to bed with her and in the morning we'll find her perusing through it.

Hattie's face is the best at the very beginning of this clip, just as it starts - a classic grin

The reason I went to Dallas was to take care of my brother-in-law Daniel. Daniel is 17 and needs constant care. With mental retardation, autism, frequent seizures, and diabetes, he can be a handful. He has the mind of a 14-month old baby, who can walk, but depends on his family for everything else. My mother-in-law was in Utah for the week helping out with a new grandchild, so I was there to watch Daniel in the afternoons when he came home from school. It was only for a few days, but I loved being able to care for him - taking his blood sugar, feeding him, giving him his insulin, and even changing his diaper. I understand more fully what it means to be an Iverson. In a way I never had before, I was able to love and care for someone without compensation or even acknowledgment from the one is was serving. And the more I take care of him, the more I love him and feel a part of the family. I am grateful for the chance to serve him and love him more.

Hattie likes to give Daniel snuggles