Each morning after Stella's morning bottle I sit her in the corner of the couch and grab myself some cereal. She tends to wiggle and inch her way down into a hunched position and I have to keep propping her up again. This morning though, she sort of leaned forward and looked like she was making a model/lounge pose. It was too cute, and just like EVERYTHING else she does....I had to get a picture!
I told him that the set up looked like more work than just feeding her the bottle, but he insisted that this was the easier route. Stella seemed oblivious to the difference. 
Yesterday Stella held her own bottle all by herself for at least 7 seconds! I don't think anyone would believe me, but my dad was there and he can vouch for us. Each day, my baby's motor skills become more evolved. I am not surprised by her talent, I always assumed she would be naturally gifted. 
Stella was three months old on Saturday. I used to be very good at knowing how many weeks old she was, but I think I am only going to worry about months now. Besides, I always was confused when moms gave me their baby's age in some random number of weeks...too much math for me. 
Today was Stella's first trip to a museum. She was terribly excited about it, and was very good the whole time. The Utah Museum of Art was having an exhibition this summer that ends this weekend. Of course we had to wait until the last minute to go, and Dad had to pretend he was "close friends with (fill in blank here)" to get us tickets. I thought it was a good little showing, but I must admit to being a museum snob. Plus, I hate crowds at museums, so I sort of sped through it...taking a few moments to critique the paintings. I told Stella about the paintings and shared with her which artists were mommy's favorite. They did not allow pictures inside the exhibition, but they did among the permanent collection upstairs so I did get some pictures of Grandpa giving Stella her first art lesson.
Here we are being so scandalous. We are taking an unauthorized photo of the exhibit. After we took it I heard over the walkie talkies that they were looking for a man, woman, and child taking pictures. Thankfully we were not discovered. But of course, who could get mad at this face?
Naturally Stella is so smart, strong, and coordinated that she is totally over her sitting up trick that she learned yesterday. She has taken to standing up now when I help her up with her arms. Of course she loves doing it, and her smiles abound with each attempt.
Ever since Stella got a little bit of hand control, she and her bib have begun a whole new relationship. As soon as I get it around her neck she snuggles it up to her mouth and chomps down. She seems to love the fuzzy texture. Cousin Ava also seemed mesmerized by Stella's stunning orange bib, and she went for it the first chance she had. 
Today I delivered to my aunt the pictures I had taken at her birthday party. She said she thought she looked sad in all of the pictures. Then I told her, it was because she was sad. Maybe sad isn't the word, emotional might be better. How could you not be emotional to know that it is your last birthday, and you are possibly with your grandchildren for the last time? She is very driven to work on her scrapbook pages. She said she used to make fun of people that scrap booked, but now she thinks it is so fun. I went and bought her some new materials for her to use, she loves having letters and inspirational words so I mainly picked out those for her. 
Here is a still from a film you haven't seen.
At the end of March, my aunt Nonalee went into the hospital very sick. Her breast cancer had returned and it had spread pretty much everywhere. Last week she was given three more weeks to live. Next week is her birthday, but we had a party tonight while her grandkids are in town. 
Everytime my dad sees Stella he says: "She knows her Gramps, he gives her all the love that she needs."
My Grandpa Evans was very hands on with us when we were little. He used to take us on a walk to the "secret place", which was just a little river close to their home. We would pick out sticks and race them down the slow river. He also taught me how to fish, although I can't say that I have kept up the skill.
I love that last picture of my Grandma Evans. She finds no greater joy than having her family together. She has sacrificed so much for her family, and it is because of her that I have the blessings I have in my life. I have so many wonderful memories of her taking care of me and loving me, and I will always be able to remember how her scrambled eggs taste different than anyone else's. To this day she likes to dress sassy and in style, and she is always jealous of my shoes...it is so cute.
Today we went to visit my friend Jenni and her two adorable kids Nora and Evan. Jenni had a Bumbo chair and I put Stella in it, not really thinking she could sit up in it. To my surprise she looked like a pretty big girl all of the sudden. Those chairs are magic! Now I guess I have to go and buy one.
When Stella is getting ready for her bath and I lay her down by the mirror she has always looked at it, and I thought that she was looking at herself. Soon I realized from her angle she couldn't see herself, and she was looking at me. She must have been confused thinking, "When did I get two mommies?"
There hasn't seemed to be much controversy as to who Stella looks like. EVERYONE that sees her these days says: "She looks just like Brent!" or "That is totally a Brent face!" It is funny because I have always been able to tell which parent a baby takes after, but with Stella I just think she looks like well....Stella. 
Being a Relief Society president had its challenges for sure, and I don't miss it much. However, I was lucky to serve with an amazing bishop. Bishop Goeckeritz and I became very close, and I feel like he is a grandfather to me. Since we still live so close, it isn't hard to stop by for a visit. 
This weekend my friend Christy and her husband Geoff and son Aedan came to visit all the way from Las Vegas to meet Miss Stella. We had a really nice visit. We didn't do much, but we managed to head out to Sugar House Park to let Aedan see the ducks and geese and run around.
It didn't take long for Aedan to want to get his feet wet. Throwing rocks into water while standing in water....what a treat! He loved it so much that he wasn't the least bit bothered by the rocky terrain.
I took this picture sitting down and holding an asleep Stella. I thought it turned out delightful. I am so happy that my friends marry such nice fellows that make amazing husbands and dads! Geoff actually VOLUNTEERED to mow our lawn...he said he wanted to! Thanks Geoff! 
