Our little Seal!

So it seems like everyone's kids are crawling but ours. I know it will come soon enough but for now I am content with Alex moving about like a little seal. Watching him move about tonight I told Jason, Alex looks like a little seal. He loves to rise up on his hands and get around by either rolling from his back to his front or by using his hands. He also loves to lay on his belly and kick his arms and legs like a fish out of water. I know once he can crawl he will be into everything so for now I should enjoy his lack of mobility.

Besides errands and dinner out on Saturday we had a pretty lazy weekend at home. Who needs to go to the movies when you have Alex to entertain you. BTW did anyone catch Miss Utah on Miss America, wow isn't she amazing? I personally think she should have taken it all but who asked me anyway. Off to enjoy a warm bath. A storm is moving in tonight and my sad arthritis body can sure feel it. Have a great week!

Alex loved his first biscuit. Note to self: they are very messy feed

only before bath time.

Man I love this kid, why the smile you ask, just watch the video.

I am super funny I guess. I found out a sure fire way to make Alex giggle.

A week at our house

It's been a busy week at our house so I have been bad at blogging. I have been working on Jillian's bridal shower invites, more DIing, Jillian's wedding album, visited Mom at her work and went to lunch with some friends just a to name a few. I have been taking some pictures however so here is a small glimpse into a week at our house at least from Alex's view.

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Alex usually takes showers with his dad so the bathtub is still a little scary for him but we are working on it. Tonight he actually seemed to enjoy it.

If you look closely you can see is little tooth on the bottom.

We had fun putting a wet washcloth on his head.

Sorry that this video is a little dark. I didn't notice that until after I was done.

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Alex and I hung out in our robes while we got some breakfast. I just had to get a few shots of my little man.

He loves to turn his head sideways when talking to you, it cracks me up!

My baby is growing up!

He was trying to play peek-a-boo with his robe.

Being silly

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False Alarm! All this grunting for nothing, don't worry it came with a force about 2 hours later right before we left the house for lunch.

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After a long day Alex falls asleep on his Daddy, I couldn't help but grab my camera. Doesn't he look precious?

The sun is out

Today reminds me of a line from one of my favorite songs when I was in the play Annie. " The sun will come out tomorrow..."

Well folks, the sun is out. Hallelujah! Alex seems to be back to his cheerful, sleeping self. Thanks to everyone who let me comments letting me know I wasn't alone and this too shall pass. Sometimes it feels like I am the only mother with downer days. The only one that once in a while would like to return to my former life. You know the days when I was up early, showered and off to work. The days when I received a paycheck, seemed to make a dent in people's lives and accomplish something. I know, I know, I have the most important job ever now. It just feels like I'm not always the best in my field, you know? Luckily the sun is out, it's amazing how much Alex sleeping affects my life and my mood.

I have been busy DIing my house, cleaning and making invites for my niece's bridal shower. It's been a relaxing but busy accomplished weekend. I even managed to read a book and get two baths in. =)

Well I am off to finish cleaning my stamp room. Here are a few pictures and a video from this weekend of Bug a Boo.

Jason and I wanted to do a few errands last night but Alex was still sleeping so I decided to sneek a quick picture which I knew would wake him up, it did. See he really does sleep sometimes.

Jason and I went through Alex's room tonight putting clothes away that Alex has outgrown. We tried on some of his hats and got the giggles watching him try to take them off.

He looks so Asian with his hat on, I love it!

Jason got him to smile. He weighed in at 16 lbs exactly tonight. Still little for his age but growing everyday.

I'm so done!!

Please grant me patience!! It's been one very rough week. If you have talked to me at all this week you have probably heard me say " I'm so done!". I have uttered this phrase far too many times this week to Jason. Alex has really tested my patience. Luckily I have an amazing very patient husband otherwise Alex would be shipped to his grandma's house by now. I think what is bugging me the most is the fact that I don't know what is wrong. It may be teething, separation anxiety or perhaps a growth spurt. Who knows!! He hasn't napped well, slept well at night and has been very grumpy. Last night we left him in his crib for an hour to cry himself to sleep. It was very hard but we did it. I am hoping tonight things look up. I could sure use a full night of sleep. It seems like he can't get enough to eat no matter what we give him. We have upped his food for tonight in hopes he will sleep like a baby.

Am I the only one out there with a naughty but dang cute kid?

This is how I found him after attempting a nap for an hour yesterday. Mind you he was originally swaddled, socks on, blanket cuddled and binky in his mouth on the opposite side of the crib from where I found him oh and tear free. Of course I had to snap a picture before I gave up and got him out of his crib without a nap.

"I'm so done!!"

8 months today

Alex turned 8 months old today. Before I know it he will be a year old. Time really does fly with kids. I thought I would share a few pictures from tonight. He looks like an angel in them but don't let him fool you, he was a little pill today. I was more than delighted when Jason walked through the door tonight. If you are reading my blog, leave me a comment. I would love to know you stopped by.


After bathtime tonight, at least I got his diaper on before he decided to roll over.

We take pictures/video with Ryker the bear every month to show how much Alex has grown. Here he is checking out Ryker's shoe.

I guess they looked good enough to nibble on.

Just hanging out with Ryker

Hugs before bedtime

Alex's little milestones

My baby is growing up way too fast. Although part of me is excited a huge part of me is trying to hold onto every bit of baby still left in him. No, he isn't crawling yet and if I have my way he won't be for awhile. With as busy as he is I am concerned what I will have on my hands once he can be mobile.

His little milestones amaze me! He is eating us out of house and home. I got in the cupboard the other day to get some lunch when I realized everything I had on hand was for him. He is still nursing multiple times a day and eating 2-3 containers of stage 2 baby food, a heaping bowl of cereal before bed as well as lots of Gerber puffs. You would think with all of his eating he would be a big boy but he is still little, just under 16 lbs when we weighed him last week.

We also moved his highchair upstairs. He was getting too big for his bumbo and reaching for everything in sight which was driving me nuts. I guess it was time for a change. It made me cry seeing him sit up like a big boy in his high chair and feed himself his puffs. He can be entertained for hours with those things. Just in he past week he has really learned to pick them up and put them in his mouth.

Reaching for another puff, he loves them!

I loved this face.

He is finally sleeping through the night on a more constant basis. I have hesitated to post this for fear in may be jinxed. He is either up once a night or sleeps all night. Both are fabulous! Life is much easier with him napping better ( always in his crib) and sleeping well at night.

Alex has been sitting on his own for a while but usually falls over within minutes if he has no support, not this week. I can finally sat him on the floor to play without him tumbling over.

Here are a few pictures from him sitting by himself today. Any idea what he was up too while I took these pictures? Yup pooping, two dirty diapers in two hours, just my luck!

It probably isn't very nice that this makes me crack up huh?

He learned to click his tongue yesterday too, I love it!!

He is reaching milestones daily. Is there a way to keep him little forever?

2008 Resolutions

So every January I look at my life and think what do I want to change? What do I want to do now that I have not been faithful at doing. In the past it's usually been to lose weight, surprise surprise and exercise daily. Although I would love to do both of those I have decided not to make them my main focus this year. They are on the stove but on the back burner. Instead of the usual resolutions I have set some goals to get myself back. I want to take time for me and not loose myself because I'm a Mom now. Here are my resolutions/goals for 2008 in no particular order.

-Read to Alex daily, for now this may be a small book but in time I hope to spend 30 minutes to an hour reading to him. I have always loved books and hope to develop that same love in him.

-Read two books a month if not more. I love to read and besides magazines, mainly parenting magazines recently I never read. I received the Christmas Jars for Christmas from my friend Mollie and it got me in a book reading frenzy. I have picked up small easy to read books around my house that I love in order to finish them without taking too much time out of my life. After Alex goes to bed I run me a bath and slide into the warm water with a good book. It's a small way to relax and make some me time.

-Stay updated on my blog. It is a great way to stay in touch, show off my cutie pie and document his life. It's my journal with pictures.

-Have a date night in or out once a week with Jason. Just spend more quality time together. Last week at the Bed and Breakfast was very nice. Although we can't do that every week we can still do things to keep our marriage happy. * Jas, you need to help me on this one*

-Take at least two baths a week again this is to keep my reading going and my me time in check. My showers are usual quick often while Alex is napping, screaming on the floor or after Jason gets home. It's not often that they are relaxing so bath time is a must.

-Stamp once a week at least, I need to get back in the habit of taking time to stamp. I love it but it's hard when you have a little one. I need to get going on my classes which will help get me stamping.

-Mail Random cards out to friends/family once a month. This is a way to put my cards to use. I love to randomly send a pick me up, thank you or thinking of you card. It makes me happy!

-Last but not least is to work on my self esteem, try not to be so hard on myself. Have you watched the new show on lifetime called how to look good naked? If not I would highly recommend it. Strange show, wonderful concept. It has really changed my opinion of myself.

Hopefully by taking time to be a better me I will be a better wife and mother. Off to spend time with my honey. Here is a cute picture of bug from today, man I love this kiddo!

What goes in must come out

Alex has been eating more solid foods lately. His favorites include peas, green beans, bananas, pears,vanilla pudding, sweet potatoes, cereals etc. He also loves when we share a bowl of instant mashed potatoes with all the good stuff like butter, cheese, salt and pepper. I have also learned that he loves vanilla ice cream, he must be my kid after all. He isn't a fan of peaches ( too tart) or mixed veggies. He actually gagged when I feed them to him today.

We have learned that with more solids comes more poop. Oh ya we have gone from one poopy diaper maybe two a day to four or five. Friday we actually threw out his outfit on his 5th poopy when we decided it wasn't worth salvaging. Today it was four poops now add the fact that he doesn't like to be on his back and you have one disaster. I am honestly pooped out!!!

Overall he is usually a pretty clean kid but after cereal time tonight we knew he would need a bath. Here are a couple of pictures and a video of cereal time tonight.

" I'm gonna get ya!!"

A face only a mother could love

Raspberry time ( our table needed a good scrubbing after this feeding)

Check out this video, be sure to watch Alex's left eyebrow after I say" it's like a sprinkler". Jas and I had to watch it three or four times we were laughing so hard. Hopefully you can see it with the screen so small.

Fun Filled Weekend!!

We headed up to Brigham City Saturday morning after a good dose of snow fell Friday night. The roads were slick and slushy. We were hit with slush twice, luckily Jason was driving because it scared me shit less!! * is there such a thing?* We arrived exactly at 10 am as the opening song was being played for Shae's baptism. I gave a talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost. It wasn't my best talk seeing that I haven't done any public speaking recently but overall it went smooth. I had numerous people stop me to tell me that they enjoyed my talk. I even had many people in the audience crying. It sure made me miss public speaking. After the baptism we had lunch, opened birthday presents and had cake. Shae wore her new white dress, she looked like an angel. Her baptism turned out really well.

Here is a picture of Shae in her new dance costume she got from Grandma for her birthday!

Check out this move, she had to have me snap a picture of this one....

Oh and this one.. We could have been there for hours. She was loving ever minute of it.

We then headed to my sisters where Jason and I played games with my sister and brother-in-law. My favorite is ticket to ride, anyone out there played this one, it's fun! About 4:30 Jason and went to dinner alone at Maddox. It was overpriced and not great but it was nice to have a hot meal together, alone!!

After dinner we went back to my sisters so I could feed Alex then it was off to the bed and breakfast for the night * remember our Christmas gift*. We had a wonderful time! It is a small place with only four rooms and we were the only ones booked so we got the key from the owner and were alone for the night, the whole place to ourselves. We stayed in the whispering pines suite. The place has only been only a few months so everything was very clean. I loved all the extra touches they included. Sadly the pictures/video on their site don't do them justice. If you need a night away I would highly recommend it. The owner is very nice to work with and spoiled us. I know we will go back for sure.

Here is a picture of the bed, it was huge!!

Here is the tub, the stone work around it was so pretty!

Here is Jas and I being silly modeling our robes for a self-portrait. I know I look horrible, oh well!!

Here is one side of the basement with our TV, check out the DVD they had playing when we arrived, it was awesome.

Here is the other side of the basement which we sat and had breakfast at.

There are more pictures on their website if you are interested in seeing the place. You would think being away from Alex ( my first night away from him) I would enjoy talking about anything but him but that was not the case. Most of the night we talked about Alex, how lucky we are to have him in our lives, wondered how he was doing but was too scared to call to find out. My sister threatened me about checking in all night. It's crazy how much one little guy can change your life! Overall he was very good for my sister's family. He was up ever couple of hours but I decided it was good birth control for my teenage nieces. =)

Sunday we woke up to more snow. It was the biggest snowstorm Brigham City has seen in two years. We decided not to rush home but instead went back to my sisters house and made potstickers and ham fried rice for my family. After lunch we hung out and played another game of ticket to ride before heading home.

Here is Alex and Daddy hanging out. I told Jas he looked mad in his picture. I took a few more but then he was just being a dork and Alex wouldn't look at me so I leave you with the best shot.

Happy Birthday Shae!

I know another birthday, my life is crazy! Because I have a full weekend ahead ( details later) I thought it would be best to wish my little redhead a early Happy Birthday!

T0morrow my youngest niece Shae turns 8. It seems like just yesterday that she was born. With each of my sister's births we have waited for what has seemed like hours, days for them to come. With Shae my sister called reporting she was headed to the hospital and to meet her there, we planned to watch the birth. Taking our sweet time my mother, cousin Jes and I headed up to Ogden in a snowstorm. We arrived too late. Shae couldn't wait any longer and had arrived just minutes after my sisters made it to the hospital. No one but Daddy was able to witness the birth.

She was an adorable baby with a head full of red hair. She has four siblings, none of them inherited the red hair. They choose to name her Shae after my brother Shane minus the 'n'. The name really fits her.

I met Jason when Shae was just two months old so watching her grow up is like watching our relationship grow. She has been such a joy in our lives. She has had Jason wrapped around her little finger since the beginning. Now she is growing up and loves acting like a big sister to Alex, she can't get enough of him.

Being LDS turning 8 is a very special age. It means that she will be baptized a member of the church and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. She is very excited! Tomorrow will be a special day. Here are a few pictures of Shae over the years.

Happy Birthday Shae! We love you!

Gotta love the cheesy grin!

This is one of my favorite pictures of her, dirty face and all.

I love this picture too although my hair is crazy , the picture is blurry and Shae and I are being silly. It shows just how much joy she brings to my life.

Where did my little red head, blue eyed toddler go?

Here she is posing for the camera. She loves playing dress up. We might have a future model on our hands.

I know I have posted this one before but I love it. Alex with his gut ( the little one he has) and Shae hanging out. She is always excited to be able to spend time with her buddy!

Happy 21st Birthday Jill-Bill!

Today my oldest niece Jillian turns 21. Happy Birthday Jill-Bill!

I remember how excited I was to be an aunt especially when I was allowed to change her diapers. I was only 7 years old and to be an aunt was the coolest thing ever. We are pretty tight because she is actually closer in age to me then any of my siblings are.

She brought joy to my family during a very dark time. She arrived two years to the day we lost my brother Shane. She came into the world to bring smiles back to my family. She was the only grandchild my father had the privilege of knowing here on earth. He adored her and even made her a bottle once so she would cuddle with grandpa. My sister wasn't very happy since she was trying to ween her from them. She was Grandpa's little angel!

Times have changed, she is growing up and plans to be married in two short months. Okay cheesy rhythm I didn't intend. She now adores Alex and has drove down here multiple times because she misses her baby. =)

Happy Birthday Jillian, we love you!

Jillian, her fiance Clay and Alex posing like a little family.

Jillian and Alex napping together, they did this often so I could have some free time.

Just posing for the camera, isn't she pretty!

Looking gorgeous sorry guys she is taken!

A old picture of Areiann, Jill and I before they grew up. =(

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!! It's official, I am old! This is the first year since I was little that I missed the welcoming of the New Year. After a late trip to the store Jason fixed us an amazing dinner while I put bug to sleep. After he went down we had grilled pork chops with caramelized onions on top, baked potatoes, garlic croissants, a krab cheese ball for an appetizer and kewl ( sorry for the spelling) salad. It was very yummy!! We cleaned up dinner and went upstairs to watch TV. I fell asleep around 11:15 and woke up at midnight to the sound of fireworks going off. I briefly rolled over to kiss my sweetheart and back to bed I went until Alex woke me up at 7:15 this morning. Yes he slept through the night again, let's not jinx it!! Yup what an exciting night huh? I hope you did something fun.

On New Years I always take a minute to look back over the year and towards the future. Last year brought us the best gift no money could ever buy. Alex has brought our family loads of joy and laughter. I look forward to watching his firsts during 2008. To look back I remember New Year of 2000, I was pretty down that year. I went to bed shortly after midnight wondering where my life would take me. I was anxious for the arriving of my niece Shae ( her b-day is the 5th). Little did I know that I would meet my handsome hubby only months later and create a life together that would put me here in 2008 a wife and a mother with lots to be thankful for.

Do you have resolutions for the New Year? I do, different than ever before though. I will share them with you in the next few days. I hope that you have a Happy New Year! I will leave you with a few pictures from the past week.

Alex's surprised look! Here he is in the tub. He usually takes showers with Dad so this was a rare occasion, he still isn't sure he likes it.

He finally warmed up to the idea and seems to be enjoying his bath here.

Here is Alex caught being naughty. It's hard to be mad at a cute face like that. We have had problems changing his diaper the past few days because he constantly rolls over on his tummy. I managed to put this diaper on while he was on his tummy. It wasn't easy!!