Pepper's First Birthday! (July/August 2011)

We had a strange summer this year (2011).  Kyle had planned to take a week off from work in June, but our intention was to spend the week around town with the kids.  In a strange turn of events, we bought a new car, almost sold the old one, decided to sell it to my sister in Arizona, and decided to deliver the car personally!  With only a few days' notice, we were packed up and on the road.  It took three days, two nights in a hotel, a LOT of 'put on your seatbelt' reminders, and finally we made it!

The three big kids stayed behind in Arizona and the two littles enjoyed 5 solid weeks of undivided attention.  Pepper actually turned one during their absence, but we delayed celebrating until they returned. 

Pepper's favorite present was having her big siblings with her again.  And seeing Grandma and Grandpa Hunter!

I was terrible about pictures, but Grandma and Grandpa drove the kids across the country back to us in Wisconsin.  They had so many adventures, including crossing borders of states just to say they'd been there, seeing Yellowstone for the first time, seeing Mount Rushmore, and playing the license plate game.  By the time their trip ended, they had every license plate, except Hawaii.

Before Grandma and Grandpa left to go home, we drove with them as far as Nauvoo.  We stayed a couple of nights and explored this amazing historical landmark.  This visit inspired me to read my Great Great Grandpa's autobiography (Benjamin Franklin Johnson).  It was a great journey with our little family and also a great testimony building experience for myself.

Some highlights about Pepper at one-year-old:

*Pepper started walking when she was a little under ten months - our earliest walker by a few weeks.
*By her first birthday, Pepper was mastering the art of climbing on the table and falling off benches.
*Pepper moved into Addie's room right around 10 months.  She has slept great in her crib with her big sister.  Adeline was the only child we could trust to sneak quietly into bed each night and not wake a sleeping baby.  Pepper's big sister really loves her!
*Pepper still takes two naps a lot of days, but is working down to just one.
*Everyone loves Pepper.  She has so much personality at 1-year-old. 
*Church is a big challenge with Pepper.  She can't make it all the way through the block without her nap.  We're in a stage where one of us has to take her (and usually Truman) out into the halls during sacrament (from 9:30 to 10:45), and then we usually end up buckling them both into carseats for the second hour and letting them both nap until the third hour (11:40).  Sometimes Pepper sleeps the whole time and one of us will have to sit out in the car with her until church is over.  Luckily we have callings that let us do this.  I am secretary in Young Women's and Kyle is a teacher in High Priest Group, so we are able to stagger the days we are on baby duty.  This stage won't last long.
*Having Pepper and Truman only 16 months apart is a lot like having TWO babies.   Luckily, they really love each other and Truman is an AMAZING big brother.  I don't know how we would make it if they fought or picked on each other (enough of that with the older kids).   When they do get into squabbles, it is usually Pepper being the aggressor.